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Opinion – Joseph Parker makes his first foray into the ring this weekend since his loss to Anthony Joshua, but the stakes for the young kiwi boxer are as high as ever, writes Jamie Wall [19659002] Joseph Parker salutes his supporters as he leaves the ring after his fight against Anthony Joshua in March “/>
Joseph Parker salutes his supporters as he leaves the ring after his fight against Anthony Joshua in March.
Photo: PhotoSport
We will now know how much Joseph Parker wants it. Which exactly will probably be defined during the next year, however.
Parker Fights Dillian's The Body Snatcher & # 39; Whyte in London on Sunday morning (NZ time), his first foray into the ring since his defeat against Anthony Joshua at the end of March. Preparations for this fight have not been as close as the clash in front of 80,000 in Cardiff, but one could say that its significance is even greater, given the stage of his career in which Parker finds himself .
Thanks to the ridiculously convoluted way boxing rules, there were four world title belts on the line when Parker faced Joshua. The British champion left with each of them, despite Parker having taken the full 12 laps for the first time in his career. It was perceived as a credible, but somewhat inevitable result, for Parker
While Aotearoa's hopes were upon him and we all hoped that he could get out of it. It was clear that Parker was still going to be the massive underdog. Despite the plot of a rather dubious arbitration performance, Joshua found Parker in a clinical demonstration that gave the Kiwi its first professional career loss.
So now we are in the UK, four months later. Parker is in the position of which no one really spoke before his loss, which happens next.
The old boxing adage of "taking off from the canvas" has never been more appropriate right now, as he will be fighting perhaps the most intimidating opponent of his career: being motivated .
Just look at what Parker has accomplished so far in his career.
He has already been world champion and has entered home history. He currently has a 24-1 heavyweight record, and is a family name in New Zealand. He represents all that is good in this country – young and talented, confident but humble, representing both the community in which his parents immigrated and the nation as a whole. No one will blame him if fighting in Cardiff turns out to be the peak of his career.
He is 26 years old, a real child in terms of a historically long heavyweight boxing career. However, the man currently at the top of the pile is only 28 years old – Anthony Joshua is not going anywhere soon and should dominate the division for quite a while
Joseph Parker, on the right, and Dillian Whyte in front of their London heavyweight clash.
Photo: Photosport
The rumors about Duco, the promoters of Parker, are that a rematch with Joshua is on the cards for next year. It is unclear how hot it is, given that the heavyweight clash between Joshua and American champion Deontay Wilder has not yet taken place. .
Joshua was announced to fight Russian Alexander Povetkin in September with his next fight after that shut up for the month of April next year. That's the date that Parker will fight, though he's trying to get a rematch, but the way he's going to fight that fight with Whyte will show if that's a possibility .
In a boxing tale, the equation could not be simpler – Parker should be aggressive for a quick end, followed by a bold statement of intentions to take revenge on Joshua. This will make everyone talk, but it's hard to see.
Parker is a boxer, not a fighter, with his most notable victories coming methodically over 12 rounds. As for post-fight trash speeches, it's even more difficult. It's not that kind of guy, that's why his career loss has been relatively well received in a country where humility is often overvalued in a sporting context.
Then there is the fact that Dillian Whyte is not either. He suffered only one career loss, and it was Joshua in 2015. He is fighting in front of a local crowd and currently holds a WBC title. It's not easy to get back to the relevance of boxing for Parker.
So, at lunch time Sunday, we should have a better idea of where Joseph Parker is heading. If it will be another course towards Joshua and titles for which he fought in March, then this fight must be a true statement of intent. Otherwise, we will know that Joe will be happy to fight in the next few years in the shadow of the real contenders.
