Title hopeful Bellew taunts ‘little’ Parker
PUMPED up British fighter Tony Bellew has likened Joseph Parker to Jonah Lomu but taunted him as ‘‘a little heavyweight amongst huge giants’’.
The physical reference is a key reason why Bellew is keen to mix it with Parker, perhaps even at Goodison Park, Everton’s famous football ground in Liverpool.
Parker is eager to build his name in Britain and his handlers like the feel of a fight with Bellew, a world cruiserweight champion who stepped up to rock the lively UK heavyweight scene by disposing of David Haye.
Bellew is in Eddie Hearn’s stable and it’s understood discussions with Duco Events have already indicated a win over Bellew would be a gateway to a unification fight with Anthony Joshua, currently king of the ring after he disposed of Wladimir Klitschko to add the WBA and IBO belts to his IBF title.
Bellew, it appears, is up for the challenge – providing Parker got through last night’s WBO title defence against Razvan Cojanu in Auckland.
The 34-year-old Bellew has a limited time left in the game but is eager to add a world heavyweight title to his impressive resume and believes Parker, just two centimetres taller, fits the bill physically.
‘‘Joseph Parker is a dangerous, live, little, heavyweight amongst huge giants. That’s what he is in my opinion. But like I’ve just said, dangerous small heavyweight, who I do like the look of if I’m totally honest,’’ Bellew said.
‘‘I like the sound of world heavyweight champion. It’s got a nice ring to it but we will have to see, we will see what Joseph Parker wants.
‘‘It’s a fight that I do like, I’m not going to lie to you, but there is going to have to be some negotiating done.’’
Bellew felt he had plenty of power at a negotiation table despite Parker holding the belt.
‘‘I have got respect for Joseph Parker, I do think he’s a good fighter, but let’s not mix this up. He’s had his whole career campaigning at heavyweight, I’ve had one fight at heavyweight, and my whole career at heavyweight is better than Deontay Wilder and Joseph Parker’s career put together,’’ Bellew said.
‘‘These two guys wouldn’t even mutter the name David Haye, they don’t even whisper it in the dark because they’re scared he REUTERS might come out. I took on the monster, I defeated the monster against all the odds, and believe it or not, against all the odds, which I would be against Joseph Parker, I will beat him.
‘‘Boy, you keep on saying my name, if I put my name, and sign that contract, your title reign is over, it’s as simple as that.’’
Bellew promised Parker ‘‘something he’s never experienced before, and something he’s not ready for’’.
‘‘I’m the better boxer than him, I’m slicker than him, I’m cleverer than him, me footwork is far better than his,’’ Bellew trumpeted. ‘‘He’s stronger, he’s definitely younger. He does look like a bit of a specimen to be fair. He’s another guy who I look at and aesthetically he looks fantastic doesn’t he. He reminds me of the great rugby player Jonah Lomu when I look at him . . . a very strong cultural man who is fixed in where he is from.’’
Bellew said Britain ‘‘is now the home of world boxing’’ and demanded Parker come to his ‘‘house’’.
‘‘It is out of the question for me to go to New Zealand, Australia, anywhere close to that is out of the question,’’ Bellew said.
‘‘I sold out the O2 [in London] in a couple of seconds, I’ve sold out my home town’s [Liverpool] Echo Arena on multiple occasions, I’ve done good numbers in the Echo, in Goodison Park, the greatest football ground in the whole world.’’
Bellew signed off his challenge to Parker with another warning: ‘‘We will sit down, we’ll talk . . . and if you want to dance with me then you better show up well prepared because I have shown what I do to fighters who don’t show up well prepared.
‘‘I deal them a bad hand and it could just be the end of him so choose carefully boy, and think about what you’re doing when you sign that contract.’’
The main complication to a fight against Bellew happening quickly is the mandatory challenger’s rights that Hughie Fury still holds to the WBO belt.
He pulled out of last night’s fight in Auckland after previously delaying the promotion by more than a month. Duco’s patience with the Furys is rapidly wearing thin and don’t be surprised of a side-step situation.
‘ Joseph Parker is a dangerous, live, little, heavyweight amongst huge giants.’ TONY BELLEW