Former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker is perhaps the most underappreciated fighter in the upper echelons of boxing’s glamor division.
The friendly New Zealander was a noted amateur and his speed, power, skill and athleticism took him to the top as a professional. Parker, 30, annexed a vacant heavyweight title by outpointing Andy Ruiz (MD 12) in 2016, and while his reign may not have been memorable, the only setbacks came by decision by Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte.
In recent times, Parker, who is ranked No. 3 by The Ring, found himself locked in a feud with Derek Chisora. Having bested the fearless British slugger by split decision in May of last year, Parker put on a much more convincing performance in the rematch, which took place seven months later. He scored three knockdowns and prevailed by unanimous decision over 12 rounds, though some of the scoring (115-110, 115-111 and 114-112) was too close for comfort.
“Sometimes you disagree with the judges and the scorecards, but at the end of the day, a win is a win and that’s all that matters,” Parker (30-2, 21 KOs) said during a recent interview. with The Ring.
“It would have been nice to get the stoppage, but overall it was a huge improvement from the first fight. He showed the improvements I made with Andy Lee while training here in Morecambe, England. He was happy with the improvements and how I was able to be more positive in the ring.”
On Saturday, Parker must maintain that form when he takes on undefeated British star Joe Joyce. The 12-round world title eliminator will take place at the AO Arena in Manchester, England.
Joyce, ranked No. 6 by The Ring, capped off a stellar amateur career with an Olympic silver medal at the 2016 Rio games. At 6-foot-6, 260 pounds, the undefeated Londoner is an imposing physical specimen, and he showed his technical trade to great effect in a 10th-round knockout of countryman Daniel Dubois in November 2020.
“You always look at who’s coming up and who’s making waves in the division,” Parker explained. “Joe Joyce is undefeated, 14-0 with 13 knockouts, so I’ve seen some of his fights. I didn’t know that I would fight him one day, but it’s good that we closed this fight.
“[Joyce] It is known to have a great engine, apply a lot of pressure and can take a hit. It also features a kind of awkward and unconventional jab. It doesn’t look the prettiest, but it gets the job done. He has a good moment on that shot, but we’ve put things in place to counter him. He presents a great challenge.”
Parker, Andy Lee and Tyson Fury. Photo by Queensberry Promotions
And there’s another big challenge lurking in Parker’s gym. In fact, this particular challenge owns the gym. Parker’s friend and training partner, Tyson Fury, is an avowed gym fanatic and his state-of-the-art facility, located in his hometown, has become the ultimate heavyweight training lab.
Lee, however, has refused to let both men fight before Joyce’s fight.
“Yeah, it’s whatever the coach says,” Parker laughed. “I would have loved to test myself against Tyson. He’s been in the gym, but we haven’t done any full matches. We’ve done full body combat though, and that’s not even easy.
“In this camp, Martin Bakole has given me a great job. iceland heavyweight [Gunnar] charcoal bone [Kristinsson] and Nick Campbell from Scotland have been here. We’ve had a great match, and Tyson has been showing me a few little details here and there. It’s Andy who finally lays out the game plan and he’s been putting together great sessions with me every day.”
In a recent conversation with Tyson Fury, the reigning WBC heavyweight champion informed me that Parker’s weight has been redistributed ahead of this fight: “He looks as skinny as a bean, but he’s actually very heavy. He weighs about 250 pounds,” Fury revealed.
“From the Chisora fight to this fight, there has been a huge difference,” Parker agreed. “I’ve been able to keep the same weight, but still cut back and maintain speed. The power is there, so it’s all about execution. It’s about hitting well, it’s about skill, it’s about technique and it’s about determination. I always say it will be a great night if I can put it all together.
“[Joyce] He has mixed with many fighters, amateurs and professionals, so he has seen many styles. But my style is all about movement and speed, and I also have a good variety with my shots. With this fight, I think I’ll be able to continue to showcase the variety of punches I have in my arsenal.”
If both guys make it on Saturday, this could be a great heavyweight battle.
Joyce-Parker, in addition to the undercard action, will be broadcast on ESPN in the US and BT Sport in the UK.
Tom Gray is Managing Editor of Ring Magazine. Follow him on Twitter: @Tom_Gray_Boxing
