Parker: I’m Gonna Be The First To Beat Joyce; He Can Come Back From That And I’ll Beat Him Again In December

Joseph Parker is fully confident that his third successive trip to Manchester will once again end with his arm raised in victory.

The former WBO heavyweight champion hits the road once again, this time as the underdog at a crossroads with undefeated Joe Joyce (14-0, 13KOs). The two will meet this Saturday for the interim WBO heavyweight title, atop a BT Sport box office show at the AO Arena in Manchester, England. Sportsbook BetMGM has Joyce as a -190 favorite to preserve his perfect record as he ends Parker’s six-game winning streak, including two in a row at this very venue.

The New Zealand visitor knows exactly what he signed up for and promises to be up for the challenge.

“I’m going to be the first to beat him, give him his first loss,” Parker promised at the end of training camp in Morecambe, England. “Okay, he can come back from that and I’ll beat him again in December.”

Parker (30-2, 21KOs) enters the fight having completed his third training camp under the guidance of former WBO middleweight champion Andy Lee. The union began last March and also includes the benefit of being in the constant presence of WBC/linear heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (32-0-1, 23KOs). Parker’s two fights with Lee resulted in a pair of wins over Derek Chisora, both last year and at AO Arena. Parker barely outpointed Chisora ​​in his first fight last July before riding three official knockdowns to the finish line in a twelve-round unanimous decision win on Dec. 18 in Manchester.

It’s a steep transition from a veteran goalkeeper who long ago got used to losing at the highest level to facing a top contender in Joyce who hasn’t tasted defeat since the final fight of his amateur career.

Parker, currently a +160 underdog according to BetMGM, is the second former champion to face Joyce. The 30-year-old South Auckland native is much closer to his prime than former WBC champion Bermane Stiverne in his February 2019 knockout loss to Joyce, who worked his way to the top of the list. of WBO contenders.

Joyce has stopped all but one opponent, going all twelve rounds in a unanimous decision victory over former title challenger Bryant Jennings in July 2019. Since then, he has posted four wins inside the distance, including a knockout in the tenth round over Daniel Dubois in their November 2020 clash of undefeated British heavyweights.

“Joe Joyce has a lot of amateur experience. He is undefeated as [pro] fighter,” Parker noted. “He has only gone the distance once. He has that confidence heading into this fight. He has the engine, he takes a good shot and throws a lot of punches. But I’m going to beat him.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox