Tough road back but mission not impossible
Joseph Parker did not have to look far at the O2 Arena late Saturday night in London for inspiration ahead of the most challenging period of his outstanding boxing career. It’s a tough road back from here after consecutive defeats that send him plummeting down the pecking order. But not an impossible one. The heavyweight division right now is so competitive and so deep up at the pointy end, all it could take is one or two choice victories against wellpicked opponents and he could be back in the title conversation.
Of course, he is also just a defeat or two more from a much darker, less desirable place. But now is no time for pessimistic outlooks with a career to revive.
Yes, it is going to take some patience and perseverance, and, for now, those multimillion-dollar paydays are a thing of the past. But Parker is not just the nicest guy in New Zealand sport (a title he still holds unequivocally), but also one of the more determined. You don’t do what he does for a living without a huge amount of courage and character to go with your natural talent.
The man who used every trick in the book to defeat him at the weekend, Brixton’s Dillian ‘The Body Snatcher’ Whyte revived his own career big time with the victory at the O2 Arena. With one statement performance he is now being talked about for challenges against Anthony Joshua or Deontay Wilder. And the guy has four years on Parker.
The 34-year-old Dereck Chisora, who knocked out the difficult Carlos Takam with two stunning eighth-round rights on the undercard, has taken three of his eight career defeats over the last few years. Yet he is now being talked up for a marquee matchup, maybe even against Whyte, that could even have him knocking on the door of one more shot at glory.
This is boxing. If your promoter is clever – and David Higgins is most definitely that – and you are diligent in what you do, then you just need one or two things to go your way to find yourself catapulted into the title equation.
But Parker has some clear challenges. He is popular in Britain, but is likely to be a guy best avoided for now by astute types. The risk attached with facing him is not matched any longer by upside in terms of what a win would mean. In the aftermath of the double-heavyweight explosion at the O2 Arena, Parker’s name had already plummeted down the order.
Master promoter Eddie Hearn, who has a strong relationship with Higgins, appeared to have already cooled on the Kiwi’s stock as a top-of-the-bill headline act.
It was notable that Hearn mentioned dangerous American Jarrell Miller as the sort of opponent Parker might be best matched against. Going into the weekend, the Kiwi was rated fourth best heavyweight in the world by Ring magazine, and Miller eighth. Whyte was sixth.
‘‘I wouldn’t rule out a Whyte rematch,’’ said Hearn, who has some exciting things happening stateside with a billion-dollar deal with sports streaming company DAZN.
‘‘But it’s not at the top of the list. I would definitely like to work with Parker again, in fights here or in the States. Jarrell Miller is a great fight for him as well, but is he going to want to fight again for that type of money coming off two losses? Maybe he comes back and gets a win first. We’ll see.’’
This fight was a crossroads one for the genial Parker. Now he heads down a less glamorous path. A less golden one too. He says he has the appetite for it and we have to take him at his word.
It’s a route traversed by Whyte and Chisora. Now it’s Parker’s turn. He must console himself that he’s due a break – not a lot went his way at the O2 Arena – and go about making his own luck. He was outboxed by Joshua and bullied by Whyte. It is time for him to grab control of his own destiny.
Now we get to see if he really is the champion he purports to be.