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Joseph Parker was undeterred and filled with unbridled confidence heading into his heavyweight fight against Joe Joyce this past weekend.
By all accounts, Parker (30-3, 21 KOs) knew full well that his man’s relentless pressure and perpetual drive would be a handful. However, with the interim WBO crown on the line, the 30-year-old Samoan believed he was more than capable of tainting his man’s record.
In the first few back-and-forths, a seemingly fresh Parker bounced briskly on the balls of his feet as he landed countless blows on the industrious Joyce. Still, despite her success, Joyce’s pernicious knockout power and her rough and tumble style took their toll on Parker. As a result, the former Olympic silver medalist recorded an astonishing victory in the eleventh.
Having been in the ring with the cream of the crop, including Anthony Joshua, Dillian Whyte and Andy Ruiz Jr., Parker takes a moment to reflect on how Joyce stacks up against the rest of her competition. After much deliberation, the former WBO belt holder realizes that despite facing the best of the best, Joyce stands out.
“Joe Joyce is right at the top,” Parker said during an interview with iD Boxing. “The pressure, the punches, the determination to keep pressing, just the respect for what he showed.”
With what could be seen as the biggest victory of his relatively young career, Joyce (15-0, 14 KOs) has successfully placed himself among the elite of the heavyweight division. Standing atop Mount Everest, however, is WBC belt holder Tyson Fury.
An unmistakably sour Fury watched from his ringside seat this past Saturday afternoon as Parker crumbled under Joyce’s constant work ethic. Overall, considering his current standing among all sanctioning bodies, Joyce is in a favorable position. Still, regardless of his lofty position, Fury believes he has bigger fish to fry.
Following her sixth-round loss to Dillian Whyte earlier this year, Fury has played a cat-and-mouse game with retirement. Though he continued to leave fans guessing, Fury ultimately decided not to cut short his career. Most recently, Fury is apparently attempting to publicly negotiate a heavyweight matchup against Anthony Joshua.
But in any case, if contract talks continue to stall, Joyce would welcome an all-Brit showdown against the WBC heavyweight champion.
Admittedly, considering their close bond, Parker acknowledges that his opinion of their potential fight would be highly biased. However, while the top-ranked contender is picking Fury to win, Joyce’s relentless pressure and will to win would result in a fan-friendly fight.
“Listen, there’s no point in asking about Fury because we’re so close and I’m rooting for Fury to win the fight. But it would be an interesting fight.”
