Parker wants to fight Joshua next
"He has got two belts and I want to test his chin and put on a great show."
Joseph Parker on Anthony Joshua
Joseph Parker wants Anthony Joshua for his next fight.
The WBO world heavyweight champion emphasised that as options and plans for 2018 were outlined at a media conference in Auckland yesterday.
Parker isn’t short of alternative fights but he made it clear that unification is his preference, targeting Joshua’s IBF and WBA belts.
‘‘I want to fight Joshua. He has got two belts and I want to test his chin and put on a great show,’’ Parker said.
‘‘Those [other] fights would be good to keep busy, but the ultimate fight is to fight Joshua. He is the preferred option for us.’’
Parker’s trainer Kevin Barry backed that up, declaring: ‘‘I think the guy is there for the taking and I want us to get in front of him before someone else beats him.’’
As revealed by Stuffearlier in the week, Parker’s promoter David Higgins and Joshua’s boss Eddie Hearn, have started discussions to make it happen.
After initial talks they agreed they would ask their fighters who both gave them the green light to try to arrange a bout, likely to be in the UK in March or April.
‘‘So it’s really down to a question of the deal and the money,’’ Higgins said.
‘‘We would acknowledge that Joshua, if the fight was to happen in his home nation, has a big fan base and you might go a little [in terms of money] his way, but not a lot,’’ Higgins said.
‘‘If they really want to unify now, they will pay more than otherwise, more than a voluntary.
‘‘We have other options and if he disrespects us, we will go in another direction.’’
Parker’s alternatives include an agreement ‘‘in principle’’ to fight Australian Lucas Browne in March, though that deal has been stalled by the Joshua talks.
Elsewhere, Parker’s American co-promoter Bob Arum has offered a Las Vegas fight on March 10 against Bryant Jennings to be televised live on ESPN.
Arum’s Asian connections have also firmed up a multi-million dollar offer to fight WBO No 11 Zhilei Zhang in China.
Higgins labelled talk of a midyear fight in Russia against Alexander Povetkin as an ‘‘exciting and lucrative option’’.
He also revealed that WBC champion Deontay Wilder shouldn’t be discounted. There had already been talks.
‘‘Wilder’s crew put a figure on the table that wasn’t enough. If they put the right money on the table we would go to America and fight Wilder,’’ Higgins said, adding he wouldn’t be rushed into any hasty decisions.
Parker has just started a six-week camp with Barry in Auckland, opting not to fight before Christmas and that has given Higgins time to work some magic.
But Barry said he would like the next fight sorted quickly. ‘‘The sooner we know, the sooner we can focus on the person that is in front of us.’’
Barry said Joshua’s recent 10th round win over Carlos Takam, a previous opponent of Parker, had confirmed their feelings of the big Brit’s vulnerabilities.