More than boxing to Parker and Higgins

New Zealand’s star heavyweight Joseph Parker and hismanager, David Higgins, havemore than just boxing in common.

The pair have carved an eightyear working relationship which has developed into a friendship.

On the face of it winning the WBO world heavyweight title in 2016 sticks out in terms of triumphs. However, they both have circled a differentmoment that they are most proud of, in their respective careers. But both still have a similar story to share.

For Parker, it was the moment he paid-off his parents Dempsey and Sala’s house in South Auckland stood out for him.

‘‘The proudest moment was helping them pay off their house. The reason why it was the most proudest moment, was because I’ve grown up my whole life and seenmy parents work very hard to look after my siblings and myself,’’ Parker told The Boxing Files podcast.

‘‘From a young age that was the goal outside of boxing. My goal was to make enough money to look after my parents. The only thing I thought about growing up was, box well, be champion, and get some money to look after my parents.’’

For Higgins, who co-founded Duco Events in 2004, he has also circled the moment he bought his mother a house as his proudest moment.

‘‘With my mum, life hadn’t treated her fairly. My father had relocated without really looking after her, she was on her own without family in New Zealand in the welfare system struggling really,’’ he said.

‘‘You can end being a bit invisible so credit to her for getting through it, raising twins on her own. Forme, I saw it as in-just or unfair, as a kid you can’t do anything about it.

‘‘But I was always pretty driven that one day I would do something about that by providing some security in terms of somewhere to live. So, yeah, shortly after the [David Tua-shane Cameron] fight; in fact the year we signed Joseph, I was able to help my mum into a home she is living in today.’’

Higgins signed Parker on a sixyear contract as a 20-year-old in 2012 which saw Duco Events promote his fights through his early part of his career.

Last year Parker decided to move in another direction when he inked a three-fight deal with Eddie Hearn’smatchroom Boxing. However, Parker has kept Higgins involved as part of Team Parker.

‘’[Signing with Eddie Hearn] was the right thing to do,’’ Higgins said. ‘‘In the six years, huge money flowed into boxing . . . Joseph is so loyal that had we wanted to be his promoter he would have probably continued with us, but it just didn’t feel the right thing to do.

‘‘There is no way I could have competed with the offers that could have been on the table by Matchroom or ESPN Top Rank etc, I felt like it was right to let go.’’

‘‘Joseph then kindly hired me to assist with management.’’

On the back of Covid-19 and the border restrictions, Higgins and Parker are working with Hearn about getting a release to stage a fight in New Zealand in August.

The fight would likely be against another fighter from New Zealand or Australia, with Australian Lucas Browne suggested as a likely option.

The Warriors’ red-hot rookie Eliesa Katoa is dedicating his NRL success to his family in Tonga.

Katoa, 20 lived in Tonga until he was 17 and was given a rugby union scholarship by Tamaki College in Auckland.

The 1.93m 110kg forward played No 8 or blindside flanker there before he was snapped up by the Warriors, jumping at the chance to be a professional athlete.

Katoa scored his first NRL try in his third first-grade appearance when he dotted down in a 18-0 win over the St George Illawarra Dragons on Saturday.

He told Nrl.com it was only his 16th game of rugby league since swapping codes.

Katoa recently signed a new contract, committing himself to the Warriors till the end of the 2024 season.

He said relocating to Australia – where the Warriors have set up a base at Terrigal on the New South Wales central coast – is less of awrench for him than his older team-mates, many of whom have partners and children in Auckland.

‘‘My family is all back in Tonga. I’m happy for them because there’s no [Covid-19] cases there and not much back in New Zealand, so I’m happy with my family in Tonga. I want to help all my family and if this is what it takes then why not.’’

Katoa, who turned 20 in January, made his NRL debut in the 2020 season opener against the Newcastle Knights inmarch.

He impressed off the interchange bench, running for 144m and peeling off 50 postcontact metres in a 52-minute cameo.

That earned him a start in the round two defeat to the Canberra Raiders, the 2019 grand final runners-up.

Katoa ran 157m and powered through four tackles in an impressive performance, which encouraged the Warriors to offer him a contract extension during the NRL lockdown hiatus.

It’s been awhirlwind journey for Katoa, whoi played 11 games in the Jersey Flegg age-group grade last year and appeared in two trial matches before being pitched into the NRL deep end by coach Stephen Kearney.

Katoa, whose father passed away in 2011, told Warriors TV on Sky Sport at the time of his contract extension that his rapid rise was ‘‘a shock’’.

The whole reason why I’m playing is to help out my family and my Mum’s happy,’’ he said.

‘‘As a young player, I’m trying to sort outmy future so signing this deal for four years, I’m really happy about it.

‘‘Every time I play, I want to put my best foot forward and just play my best.’’

He’s certainly been making an early impact.

As well as his 23rd minute try against the Dragons, Katoa ran for 181m, made 18 hit-ups, completed 29 tackles (missing just two) and made three tackle breaks in 64minutes of action in the Warriors’ second row.

He is now averaging 161.3m per gamewith the ball in hand, and has made 75 tackles across three matches, for a 89.4 per cent