Parker. Kiwi has the style and the speed
Boxing history is littered with examples of fighters who have looked past the opponent in front of them and paid the price. Buster Douglas stunned a complacent Mike Tyson in Tokyo in 1990. Michael Moorer lost his heavyweight titles and unbeaten record when he overlooked the 45-year-old George Foreman in 1994. Lennox Lewis spent time on the Ocean’s Eleven film set in 2001 when he should have been preparing to fight Hasim Rahman at high altitude in South Africa. He was brutally knocked out in the fifth round.
Is Joseph Parker about to add his name to that storied list of heavyweight upsets?
Despite their best efforts to talk up Parker’s credentials, it’s hard to shake the feeling that Anthony Joshua’s camp is under-estimating the threat posed by the New Zealander as his promoter Eddie Hearn plots future superfights with WBA champion Deontay Wilder and compatriot Tyson Fury.
The big Brit has also understandably had his head turned by that astronomical $691 million offer to join the UFC on a multi-fight deal. Factor in his countless commercial and media commitments, and you have a distracted fighter.
Parker, by contrast, has flown under the radar and is in a good place mentally without the pressure of expectation on his shoulders. His injuries have healed, he looks leaner, fitter and sharper than in recent fights, and he’s supremely confident of getting his hand raised on the night. Wladimir Klitschko aside, can you really say the same of any of Joshua’s previous foes?
In a strange way, Parker’s recent poor performances may count in his favour. No-one in Britain was impressed by his laboured victories over Hughie Fury and Razvan Cojanu, and most expect Joshua to make light work of the unbeaten Kiwi. But if an injury-free and mentally focused Parker has rediscovered the explosive form that saw him take the heavyweight division by storm on his way to capturing the WBO crown, then Joshua and his adoring fan-base could be in for a nasty surprise.
Styles make fights. And the Kiwi’s style looks all wrong for Joshua.
Parker is quicker of hand and foot, accustomed to going the distance and thus far has shown a rock-solid chin. He’s never been down as an amateur or a professional and like Joshua carries thunderous power in his fists, as 18 knockouts from 24 contests suggests.
He also appears to have won the pre-fight mind games with the WBA and IBF champion. Those ‘‘glass chin’’ taunts have clearly unnerved the usually unflappable Englishman, who has no idea what to make of his ‘‘weird’’ opponent and his unorthodox team. Should the red mist descend and Joshua get careless, that could play right into Parker’s hands.
If he can survive the early onslaught and take the muscle-bound Joshua deep into the fight when he typically begins to tire and become a more stationary target, then the stage will be set for Parker to take charge and capture his rival’s titles, whether by outboxing him for a points victory or via late knockout.
That potent mix of complacency from Joshua’s side and Parker’s superior speed and fitness could provide the perfect tonic for the New Zealander to concoct a stunning upset in the Welsh capital.
‘‘It’s hard to shake the feeling that Anthony Joshua’s camp is underestimating the threat posed by the New Zealander.’’ Sam Wilson
‘‘Parker’s best chance is to go the distance, but can he avoid eating one of Joshua’s powerful punches?’’ Joseph Pearson
tune in.
Joseph Parker, who has won 18 of 24 professional fights via knockout, is his next challenger when the bell rings for their unification showdown in Cardiff tomorrow morning and the question remains: how can the Kiwi conquer Joshua?
Parker, 26, looks in great condition and might have an advantage with that ‘‘granite chin’’, his speed and his fast hands. He also boasts an unbeaten professional record, but he hasn’t fought like an imperious heavyweight world champion in his last three victories against Andy Ruiz (majority decision), Razvan Cojanu (unanimous decision) and Hughie Fury (majority decision).
The wins over Ruiz and Fury were very tight, to say the least, and Parker, the WBO champion, failed to send warning signals to rivals.
He simply hasn’t looked capable of knocking down opponents far inferior to Joshua, so it’s hard to see him even testing the Brit’s so-called ‘‘glass jaw’’.
Now Joshua, the WBA, IBF and IBO world champion, wasn’t too convincing in beating one man Parker has faced, Carlos Takam, in his last fight last October.
Takam is one tough nut to crack, as Parker knows having fought 12 rounds with him before winning via unanimous decision in 2016, and Joshua won via technical knockout when the referee controversially stopped the fight in the 10th round.
Though exposed at times, something that would have intrigued Parker’s camp, a sudden flurry of hefty blows left Takam in trouble and Joshua pounced to full effect.
Parker has never been knocked down and Joshua was by Wladimir Klitschko, then 41, in the sixth round when he fought the long-time heavyweight champion in April last year.
But Joshua got back up again under huge pressure, having suffered the first significant blow of his career on the biggest stage before 90,000 fans at Wembley, to floor the great Ukrainian not once but twice for an enthralling victory in the 11th round.
It was box office boxing at its best.
Parker’s best chance is to go the distance but can he avoid eating one of Joshua’s powerful punches?
If Joshua does truly connect with Parker’s ‘‘granite chin’’, and the Kiwi gets knocked down before a buoyant Cardiff crowd baying for blood, he will be in deep trouble.