Joshua v Parker bout on cards
Anthony Joshua’s clever promoter Eddie Hearn is putting his British allegiances aside and hoping Joseph Parker can beat Hughie Fury to set up a massive world title unification fight.
Of course Hearn’s star charge Joshua has to first get past veteran Wladimir Klitschko.
That fight for the IBF and WBA titles in front of 90,000 at Wembley on April 29, starts a crucial week in the heavyweight ranks with Parker defending his WBO belt against Fury in Auckland seven days later.
Hearn has had Parker on his radar for some time and genuinely wants to see the Kiwi get in the ring with Joshua, believing its a fight with huge box office appeal.
‘‘The Brit in me wants to see Hughie Fury do the business. But certainly the promoter in me looks at a potential matchup between Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker and I can’t help Hearn said.
Asked how close Parker fight may be, hold back.
‘‘Very close because after we beat Wladimir Klitschko we have two but lick my lips,’’ a Joshua v Hearn didn’t belts. We want all the belts and Joseph Parker has one of those belts. You have Deontay Wilder and you have Joseph Parker and I think the matchup, style wise, between Parker and Joshua tends to be a very exciting fight, where there People want to see knockouts, they want to see speed and Parker is a similar type of fighter to Anthony Joshua. He’s young, he’s an athlete, he’s explosive as well, and that’s what people want to see. could be three of the four belts on the line.’’
Hearn felt the Fury fight was an ideal test for Parker and an opportunity to push his case in the top tier of the glamour division. ‘‘I think it’s a good fight, a good first heavyweight defence for Joseph Parker,’’ Hearn said. ‘‘He’s come through some impressive wins against Carlos Takam and Andy Ruiz and now we’re going to see what he’s made of. If he can come through Hughie Fury we can look at a potential unification fight later in the year.’’
Britain is the centre of the heavyweight world right now and Parker has the ideal chance to make a statement against Fury. An impressive win in Auckland will set up the chances of riches in the UK.
‘‘Beating a Brit is always good to do that kind of thing,’’ Hearn said of Parker lifting his profile in the north. ‘‘He keeps having to look good, getting exposure, getting these defences in. This is a solid first defence, it’s a mandatory for him as well. I think it’s an exciting fight, so he has to go out there and look good, there will be people watching all around the world. Continue to win and those big fights are just around the corner.’’
Parker’s key fights last year against Takam and Ruiz were 12 round struggles. He will be better for them, having fought his way through dangerous situations against respected opponents. But it’s time to prove his power, Hearn believes.
‘‘He has to knock people out,’’ Hearn said. ‘‘People like entertainment. You look at Anthony Joshua, it’s the same type of style ... go out there, let your hands go, it’s the heavyweight division. People want to see knockouts, they want to see speed and Parker is a similar type of fighter to Anthony Joshua. He’s young, he’s an athlete, he’s explosive as well, and that’s what people want to see.
‘‘They don’t want to see 12 rounds of exhibitions, people grabbing and holding, they want to see people who will let their hands go and Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker are two heavyweights who do that.’’
DAVID LONG
There may have been a split in the netball competition down under, but the fact that the Mystics were able to recruit Sasha Corbin highlights the ANZ Premiership’s pulling power.
The 28-year-old midcourter has played 56 tests for England, having been a regular in her national side since 2008, but she chose this season as the one to move down under to play for the Mystics.
Her younger sister, Kadeen Corbin, who has 45 England caps, opted to join the Tactix, making it a sibling move, although going on results so far, it’s Sasha who made the better decision of which team to sign with.
‘‘It’s great that we can talk in the same time zone,’’ said Sasha of being sort of close to her sister. She’s come over Auckland as well, more so in the preseason.
‘‘But it’s game time now though, so we’re more focussed on what we’re each doing.’’
Netball in England is growing in popularity, with games from their Superleague regularly shown on TV, but in terms of public and media interest, the sport is still bigger in New Zealand.
Corbin, from North London, had enjoyed from afar the old Australian/ New Zealand competition and was tempted by a move to Auckland. ‘‘When the ANZ Championship was in full swing I always wanted to play overseas,’’ she said.
‘‘I always admired the Mystics and the way they played, so this is the team I wanted to come to. So it was a dream come true when I got the call from Helene (Wilson, Mystics coach) and I’ve really enjoyed the style of netball here.’’
After two close losses, the Mystics finally picked up a win on Wednesday night against their near neighbours the Stars and with a team packed with big name players, it was something of a relief to at last record a victory.
‘‘It was a really good feeling,’’ Corbin said.
‘‘We were so happy to get our first win, especially with it being such a highly anticipated game and after losing a couple of close matches, it was good to get over the line.’’
Corbin was forced to sit out most last season, due to an ACL injury picked up while playing for Loughborough in the English Superleague.
So it’s been a big start to the year for her as she’s mixed making a return to the game with being at a new team on the other side of the world.
‘‘It’s been a great challenge, especially at this time in my career and coming back from an ACL injury,’’ she said.
‘‘It’s new, fresh and there have been some really challenging things that we’re going through, but I’m enjoying it and I feel like everyone’s been supportive.
‘‘Helene has been breaking things down easy to come in.’’
The Mystics have a tough home game on Sunday, against the Magic at Trusts Arena in Henderson and they’ve not been helped by having a short turnaround, which was also affected by the cancellation of Thursday’s session, because of fears around Cyclone Cook.
However, while their build up may have been disrupted, the players are in good spirits after that convincing 58-44 win over the Stars.
‘‘There is such a good feeling and a lot of confidence from all the training we’ve had,’’ Corbin said.
‘‘If we stick to the principles we can come out with some really good plays and the more we get out there and connect as combinations, the better we’ll be.’’ great making at it