Parker still highly rated despite loss
Joseph Parker’s first loss has hardly dented his reputation in the eyes of respected boxing publication Ring magazine.
Parker lost by unanimous points to Anthony Joshua, surrendering his WBO world heavyweight title to the Brit who now holds three of the four major titles.
Ring magazine, dubbed ‘‘The Bible of Boxing’’, has released its independent rankings in the wake of that performance which saw Parker’s record go to 24-1 with 18 KOs.
It had Parker at No 3 and has dropped the 26-year-old Kiwi just one place to No 4.
Its rankings are headed by Joshua with WBC champion Deontay Wilder at No 2.
Russian Alexander Povetkin, who has mandatory rights to WBA and WBO challenges, is now at No 3 followed by Parker.
The only major organisation to adjust its April rankings yet is the WBC which has placed Parker at No 5 with similar thinking to Ring though it has Cuban Luis Ortiz at No 4.
The independent IBO rankings have been shuffled and Parker finds himself at No 5 there also.
As reigning champions Joshua and Wilder are not ranked with the IBO, Parker coming in behind Povetkin, Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev, Ortiz and Britain’s Dillian Whyte.
Any of those fighters would be good opponents for Parker as he eyes his next fight.
That will be designed to move up the rankings and get him close to a mandatory challenging position again.