Higgins off to seal fight deal
Joseph Parker’s heavyweight world unification fight with Anthony Joshua is ‘‘on track’’ with Kiwi promoter David Higgins planning to fly to London today to seal the deal.
Intense work between Higgins and Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn over the last week on the contract has got to stage where Higgins is comfortable.
‘‘Things are on track. Eddie and I have discussed me boarding a flight tomorrow, that’s the current plan,’’ Higgins told Stuff yesterday.
The fight looks set for March 31 with Higgins saying they were ‘‘closing in on a venue’’. Cardiff’s Principality Stadium has been signalled as the likely option with its roof covering off any weather concerns and the venue providing a blockbuster crowd of 78,000.
Higgins has been in touch with his fighter, who has just returned from a brief holiday in Samoa, and plans to meet him today to go over the final contract details.
Parker will then follow north soon after for what will likely be a lively formal announcement by the two camps. ‘‘If we can make a deal and get the contract signed then Joe will probably fly midweek,’’ Higgins confirmed.
Higgins reconfirmed that he will have Wladimir Klitschko’s lawyer go over the final paperwork given the contract and promotion is based largely on the former champion’s huge fight with Joshua at Wembley early last year.
Arranging the fight on agreeable terms and getting it over the line will represent a triumph for Higgins and Duco Boxing given the way the Joshua camp treated their early approaches.
Parker is believed to be earning around $12 million for his share of the fight deal, which is about a third of what will be a massive promotion. Parker is putting his WBO belt on the line and Joshua his IBF and WBA titles.
Win, lose or draw, it will represent the biggest single payday for a sole athlete in New Zealand sporting history. And Higgins has managed to negotiate Parker a mammoth 55 per cent share of a rematch if the Kiwi can win.