DEMSEY WANTS TRANS-TASMAN STOUSH
UK-BASED Gold Coast heavyweight boxer Demsey McKean has his eyes on a trans-Tasman blockbuster against former Kiwi world champion Joseph Parker in 2022.
The 31-year-old McKean was ringside on Sunday when Parker, 29, prevailed in a brutal unanimous points win against tireless Englishman Derek Chisora in Manchester.
The Australian moved to the United Kingdom earlier this year to enhance his prospects and was a prominent sparring partner in training camps for former world champion Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte.
McKean impressed both world title contenders and secured a three-fight deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing with an option to extend. He scored a sixth-round stoppage against Don Haynesworth in his first fight in November.
Parker, 29, is a former WBO heavyweight world champion and currently ranked No.4 in the IBF and WBC, No.2 in the WBO and rated No.5 by The Ring magazine. He has a record of 30 fights with 21 knockouts and two losses.
McKean, who was trained by Stephen Ng at Ashmore’s Matrix Boxing Gym before leaving for the UK, is undefeated after 20 fights and is ranked No.10 by the WBO and 12 by the IBF.
“A Trans-Tasman clash would be a good one with Parker especially out in Australia,” McKean said.
“That would be a massive draw, especially on a George Kambosos card, him defending the titles, we’d make a nice little co-main event, for sure.”
“There’s no animosity, we’ve spoken on social media in the past, he’s a nice guy, he’s quite similar to me, we’re both quite respectful, we don’t get involved in the trash talking at all. We both have that mutual respect for each other and I think he’d like that fight as much as I would as well.”
Both fighters are part of the Matchroom Boxing team with Hearn looking to hold an Australian card in 2021 that could also include Gold Coast Olympic representative Skye Nicolson and undefeated Sydney fighter Brock Jarvis.