Joseph Parker

[bart]

Didn't think whyte would want it must be seen as an eliminator

[diehard]

Boxing: Joseph Parker's fight with UK's Dillian Whyte confirmed

Kiwi heavyweight boxer Joseph Parker will fight Brit Dillian Whyte at The O2 Arena in London on July 28 (local time), it has been confirmed.

The Samoan-born fighter's bout with the UK slugger had been rumoured as a late replacement for a proposed fight with American Bryant Jennings - and now everything is in place for it to go ahead.

Whyte's promoter Eddie Hearn announced next month's fight with a Twitter post.

The fight will be Parker's first since he lost his unbeaten record to heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in April.

Newshub understands Team Parker are hoping to position themselves to fight for a mandatory title shot, which is believed to be why they lined up Whyte as his next opponent.

Whyte is ranked in the top four in three of boxing's big four organisations, and is the number one-ranked contender to Deontay Wilder's WBC strap.

Newshub.

[diehard]

and this:

http://www.skysports.com/boxing/news/12183/11397026/whyte-vs-parker-dillian-whyte-faces-joseph-parker-live-on-sky-sports-box-office

[Msreef]

I wonder if there's a rematch clause

[Msreef]

Press Conference

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdS-EenCmEU

[bopman]

This was the best thing I have seen since breakfast this morning. Can't wait for this as I feel both fighters are at a similar level. What an epic fight. I see Jo winning by UD or even a late stoppage. This could really go either way.

[Kiwi]

WOW! Surprise!

Duco and Hearn - Whyte and Parker - all should be congratulated

Amazing

[African Monkey]

Parker to win by comfortable UD imo. Don't rate Whyte too highly myself but he's always keen to fight anyone which is only a good thing unlike a lot of others who just sit and wait on their mandatories.

[bart]

Whyte will believe he has the power to hurtJP i don't think he has.i see another tactical fight with whyte becoming frustrated and jp speed being a factor. Still 50/50 especially in uk ... depends on EH and his future plans who wins a close points decision. If jp ttakes it expect EH to be involved in future fights...JP v Wilder if he beats Dillian.

[diehard]

Anthony Joshua: Dillian Whyte will KO Joseph Parker in London

Dillian Whyte and Joseph Parker will fight in London in July.

Anthony Joshua has beaten both Dillian Whyte and Joseph Parker but has backed his fellow Brit to knockout the Kiwi heavyweight.

After Parker suffered the first defeat of his professional boxing career to Joshua via unanimous decision on April 1 (NZ time), his return to the ring against Whyte was confirmed earlier this week at London's O2 Arena on July 28.

Joshua became the unified world champion after ending Parker's unbeaten record when claiming the Kiwi's former WBO belt and he stopped Whyte in the seventh round when the two British fighters clashed in December 2015.

Anthony Joshua has backed his fellow Brit and by knockout.

Parker became the first opponent Joshua didn't knockout during his professional career and Whyte was the first to last more than three rounds.

Parker is returning to the ring after tasting defeat for the first time in his career against Joshua.

But Joshua has tipped Whyte, 30, to knockout Parker, 26, for the first time in his career with an all "guns blazing approach".

"[It's a] very, very, very good fight," Joshua told Sky Sports. "If you ask who I'm backing, I'm going with Dillian, and I'm going by knockout as well.

"I feel like Dillian ain't got nothing to lose. He's been screaming out world champions, saying he wants to fight here, he wants to fight there, and I feel like he wants to prove himself.

"Parker is strong, Parker can take a shot, but I feel like in my fight, he was on the back foot and I boxed clever, because I'm trying to set up the big fight with Wilder, so I wanted to box clever, so I could secure the next one, without taking no risks.

"But I feel like Dillian has got nothing to lose, everything to gain. He's going to go in there guns blazing and try and knockout Parker ASAP, secure the win, and get that world title shot."

Joshua, 28, is willing to reward Whyte with a rematch should he defeat Parker but he's been ordered to fight Kubrat Pulev in a final eliminator to challenge for Joshua's IBF belt.

Joshua beat Parker via unanimous decision in April.

Whyte made Joshua wobble in the second round when they met in 2015 and the unbeaten Brit (21-0) believes his fellow countryman carries more power than Parker (24-1).

"[He] hurt me in the second round," he told Sky Sports of Whyte. "Parker didn't really land too many shots, so I was clever with my feet.

"What I done in the gym is what I done in the fight. I worked on my feet, kept him at range, so he didn't land a shot on me, to be honest.

"But, you know what it is? Imagine me fighting Parker when I fought Dillian. It would have been a very difficult fight. I've improved from then, so I was making a lot of mistakes. Maybe that's why I was getting hit with cleaner shots.

"But they are both talented fighters, they are both at world level, they're world championship level fighters and I give them both credit, and I wish them both well."

- Stuff