Junior Fa
Junior Fa's promoter Lou DiBella admits Joseph Parker fight has come too soon
11:50, Sep 02 2020

Junior Fa’s American promoter admits his looming clash with Joseph Parker has come too soon but circumstances dictate it’s his best option.

The two camps continue to negotiate a tricky deal for a New Zealand super fight between the heavyweights who are keen to sort out an old rivalry that stands at 2-2 from their amateur days.

Much has happened since then with Parker having significantly better professional opposition, particularly around his reign as WBO champion.

That fact was acknowledged by Lou DiBella, the respected promoter of Deontay Wilder who has managed to manoeuvre Fa to No 6 in the WBO rankings, just three spots behind Parker.

“In a perfect world, Junior would have fought another fight or two before he stepped up to fight Joe. We are not living in a perfect world,” DiBella told Ring magazine as the Covid-19 crisis makes international promotions so difficult because of travel restrictions.

“But it’s a great opportunity and the fight in New Zealand is tremendously significant. It may not be the perfect moment for this fight but it’s the right moment.

“On one hand, you have Joe, who has a huge advantage in experience and his opposition, but they know each other, they have history.

“For Junior, the fight may be a little before its time but Junior is an undefeated guy who is still on the rise even though he’s older than Joe. It’s a great matchup and one we believe we can win.”

New Zealand heavyweight Junior Fa has been a regular sparring partner with former WBC champion Deontay Wilder.
The 30-year-old Parker is 27-2, with 21 KOs as a professional. He has won three consecutive fights since back-to-back points losses to British stars Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte in 2018.

Parker sneaked in a useful fifth round KO of North American champion Shawndell Winters in Texas on March 1 before the coronavirus pandemic created chaos with the international boxing calendar.

The 30-year-old Fa is 19-0, with 10 KOs. He hasn’t fought since a comfortable points win over American Devin Vargas in Utah in November.

The two camps have finally settled on monetary terms for a fight that is highly marketable in New Zealand.

But a battle over what New Zealand body sanctions the fight and what gloves should be used continues to stall the bout being signed off, something that is frustrating Parker’s manager David Higgins who has overseen the biggest professional fights in New Zealand boxing history.

DiBella told Ring magazine he expected the deal to get done as they aimed for a date in December.

“I had a long conversation with Higgins on Zoom and we are moving closer to the finish line,” DiBella said.

“I don’t think we’re at the finish line, but we are moving closer, inching closer.”

Parker will have to factor in relocating his US-based trainer Kevin Barry to New Zealand and going through the strict quarantine process in any timeline.

There’s plenty at stake with both boxers harbouring desires to get in the world title mix but realising a defeat would cost them any chance of that in a heated division.
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(09-02-2020, 02:17 PM)diehard Wrote:
(09-02-2020, 01:07 PM)shamrock Wrote: Always been the norm in my day diehard for both fighters to wear the same gloves provided for by the matchmaker

Right.  It's part of the negotiation.  They agree to wear a certain type of gloves.  Not one who chooses what's best for them, and the other boxer something different.  From memory, I think that was an issue for Mr Higgins with Hughie Fury, along with the ref of course.

lets just say i have been personally watching and witnessing things over the last while in the game that worries me. i just want a fair fight. and look after both guys safety long term. those horse hair gloves have no place in the sport. 
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(09-02-2020, 07:10 PM)markk Wrote:
(09-02-2020, 02:17 PM)diehard Wrote:
(09-02-2020, 01:07 PM)shamrock Wrote: Always been the norm in my day diehard for both fighters to wear the same gloves provided for by the matchmaker

Right.  It's part of the negotiation.  They agree to wear a certain type of gloves.  Not one who chooses what's best for them, and the other boxer something different.  From memory, I think that was an issue for Mr Higgins with Hughie Fury, along with the ref of course.

lets just say i have been personally watching and witnessing things over the last while in the game that worries me. i just want a fair fight. and look after both guys safety long term. those horse hair gloves have no place in the sport. 

Markk, is that what type of gloves Parker wants, horse hair gloves?

https://livehealthy.chron.com/horsehair-padding-vs-foam-boxing-gloves-4062.html
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Surely it will get resolved

This kind of thing is the norm at the top of the sport

Junior is not quite used to it yet - but don't get rattled or lose focus.
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Kiwi, always glad to see you on here. How about they flip a coin for it?
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Yep - it is all about upsetting or disrupting the opponent.

Little hassles that weigh on the mind

Higgins and co should be above that kind of thing - but hey - they have been on the receiving end many times in the UK, etc.

Silly stuff. Time for a more mature approach
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(09-04-2020, 01:28 PM)Kiwi Wrote: Yep - it is all about upsetting or disrupting the opponent.

Little hassles that weigh on the mind

Higgins and co should be above that kind of thing - but hey - they have been on the receiving end many times in the UK, etc.

Silly stuff. Time for a more mature approach

there is a real reason and ill go into after the fight. happy to give you guys the honest reason for everything afterwards. as you love the sport. 
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(09-06-2020, 09:18 PM)markk Wrote:
(09-04-2020, 01:28 PM)Kiwi Wrote: Yep - it is all about upsetting or disrupting the opponent.

Little hassles that weigh on the mind

Higgins and co should be above that kind of thing - but hey - they have been on the receiving end many times in the UK, etc.

Silly stuff. Time for a more mature approach

there is a real reason and ill go into after the fight. happy to give you guys the honest reason for everything afterwards. as you love the sport. 

Thanks markk. If you say after the fight, that sounds like the fight has been, or will be made. In my line of work, there's always the presenting issue, and the underlying reason. Looking forward to hearing it. Just as guess, but does Mr Higgins have stock in horse hair gloves???
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Deontay Wilder Sparring Partner Fa Confirms Wilder Was Injured In Camp Prior To Fury Rematch
September 6, 2020 by James Slater

Was there “something wrong” with Deontay Wilder when he stepped through the ropes for his return fight with Tyson Fury in February? So shockingly one-sided was the fight, with Fury having things all his own way, that yes, plenty of people felt there was an issue with Wilder. Well, it turns out there was. Junior Fa, who served as the WBC heavyweight champ's sparring partner for the Fury rematch, has told Sky Sports that Wilder injured a bicep towards the end of camp.

Was there “something wrong” with Deontay Wilder when he stepped through the ropes for his return fight with Tyson Fury in February? So shockingly one-sided was the fight, with Fury having things all his own way, that yes, plenty of people felt there was an issue with Wilder. Well, it turns out there was. Junior Fa, who served as the WBC heavyweight champ’s sparring partner for the Fury rematch, has told Sky Sports that Wilder injured a bicep towards the end of camp.

Fa, an unbeaten heavyweight from New Zealand who has also sparred Anthony Joshua (and is maybe closing in on a big fight with Joseph Parker) says he doesn’t know if the fight would have been any different if Wilder had not suffered the injury, but he confirms that the bicep problem was there.

“I was very shocked [by Wilder’s one-sided defeat to Fury]. The lead up and the training was actually really good. Deontay was looking great,” Fa said. “I think he did hurt himself towards the end of camp, which I don’t think would have played too much into the fight, but then I don’t know the extent of the damage of the injury he sustained. What I do know [is] that he did get injured, but I was very surprised by Fury’s game-plan. As soon as the fight started, and I saw Fury not really taking a backward step, trying to push Wilder to the ropes, I was thinking, ‘Oh man, this is going to be a hard night for Deontay.’”

So would the fight have been any different had Wilder not injured himself? Wilder himself has yet to fully explain what happened in the February fight but the former champ has hinted very srongly that odd things happened to him with regards to the fight. “There’s a lot of things that I don’t even want to talk about at this moment in time,” Wilder said when speaking on the PBC podcast shortly after the Fury rematch.

Wilder has gone very quiet since, with no word from him yet regarding the planned third fight in December. Does the bicep injury, and the fact that he will not be carrying such a handicap into the ring with him in a third fight, give Wilder any hope of being able to get his revenge over Fury?

Almost everyone you ask sees Fury as a comprehensive favorite to beat Wilder again.
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Boxing: Surprise snag hits Junior Fa-Joseph Parker showdown as announcement looms
5 Oct, 2020

Junior Fa v Joseph Parker would be one of the biggest fights in New Zealand boxing history. 
A snag has hit preparations for the eagerly anticipated Joseph Parker-Junior Fa boxing fight, threatening to upset the build-up to the heavyweight bout that is set to be announced this week.

With only a few more i's to be dotted on what has been a long but by boxing standards fairly ho-hum negotiations, Parker's camp has been hit by a shot they never saw coming.

Parker recently learned his sparring partner, Italian heavyweight Guido Vianello, has been denied dispensation to enter the country to help prepare him for the fight.

They have appealed the decision but if that too comes back negative, they will look to postpone the fight.

"We will not put Joseph in the ring against a guy ranked No 6 in the world by the WBO without a proper build-up," said manager David Higgins. "We went through the correct process to have him designated as an essential worker but that was denied on the grounds his skillset is otherwise available in New Zealand.

Junior Fa camp says money is sorted for mega-fight but sanctioning body a sticking point

"I don't know if they anybody in that [economic development] bureaucracy with boxing expertise but that is simply not the case and we have appealed that."

Stuart Duncan, one of the top matchmakers in the southern hemisphere, and Kevin Barry, Parker's trainer, both wrote to the ministry explaining that Vianello's height, weight and expertise were perfect to help prepare Parker for Fa's challenge.

Vianello lives with Barry in Las Vegas and has been a part of Parker's camps in the past. The 26-year-old Italian nicknamed The Gladiator has a professional record of 7-0, winning all seven fights by knockout.

Parker's management say they are not looking for special treatment and Vianello had committed to the 14-day quarantine protocols upon arrival.

Duncan and Barry explained there was nobody in New Zealand capable of preparing Parker to sufficient standard, but the Government was not buying that argument.

"We're not coming out swinging to put pressure on," said Higgins, "but we want common sense to prevail. We've seen dispensations made for the film industry, the America's Cup and other sports, so I don't know how this is different."

Indeed, the Parker camp could feel fully justified at the snub given the obvious health and safety benefits of having an appropriate sparring partner, as well as the economic ramifications of the fight not going ahead.

As it stands, an announcement is expected on the fight this week. There are some small loose ends to gather but the Herald understands the promoters are looking at a fight in Auckland, probably in December.

One significant sticking point that remains out of the promoter's control is Covid-19. If a crowd cannot attend, the fight will be postponed as the promoters would risk losing serious money even with a rich broadcasting deal.

If it goes ahead as scheduled you can make an argument that this could equal David Tua v Shane Cameron as the most prestigious all-Kiwi fight in history. While that was a huge hit locally, Parker-Fa would likely have more traction internationally as the industry has been starved of quality match-ups due to the pandemic.

Parker is 27-2 and ranked by the influential BoxRec.com ratings as the 12th-best heavyweight in the world. Fa is 19-0 and sits at No 31 on the same list.

While this is not part of Parker's three-fight deal with Matchroom, the Hearns will still use their considerable heft in the European and American markets to push this fight to a huge global audience.

A win by Parker, 28, would be a timely boost after his ascent plateaued following back-to-back losses to Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte. A win to Fa, 30, would move him to fringes of title contender.
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