Milne makes return from injury
side’s victory.
The Stags and Aces are likely to meet again next Friday in the second versus third playoff, with the winner of today’s match earning hosting rights.
Along with Milne, the Stags have recent Black Caps Tom Bruce, George Worker, Ajaz Patel, Seth Rance and Ben Wheeler in their ranks but are without Doug Bracewell and Blair Tickner in the New Zealand T20 squad to face India.
The Knights lead by four points and look almost certain to earn automatic entry to the final, although the Aces could pinch top spot on net run rate if they have a big win over the Stags and the Knights suffer a heavy loss to the Volts at Mount Maunganui tonight.
If Joseph Parker is serious about hanging up his gloves at 30 or 31, then 2019 looms as a crucial year in the 27-year-old’s boxing career.
Promoter David Higgins knows there’s little room for error over the next 101⁄2 months as he plots the former world champion’s route back to the heavyweight summit.
That means picking the right opponents to guide the Kiwi up the various sanctioning bodies’ rankings and into the world title mix. Now that a proposed transTasman clash with Lucas Browne is off the table, Parker is in need of a credible foe to kick off the year and move him closer to a desired rematch with Dillian Whyte, who handed him a second successive defeat last July.
There is one man currently available who fits the bill perfectly – step forward, Dereck Chisora.
Earlier this week, top British promoter Eddie Hearn floated the idea of matching the rugged Brit with Parker on a April 20 card in London headlined by Whyte. It is an opportunity the New Zealander and his team should grasp with both hands.
At 35, Chisora may be the twilight of his career, but he remains a handful for anyone and retains a large fanbase in the UK for his all-action style and willingness to take on all comers. He would be the perfect opponent for Parker to gauge his level at this point in his journey.
If the Kiwi can’t beat someone of Chisora’s age and status, then maybe it is time to call it a day.
After all, the Zimbabwe-born brawler has come up short every time he has been in with high-class opposition, save for his stunning eighth-round knockout of Carlos Takam on the undercard of Parker’s controversial points loss to Whyte last July.
In 38 fights over 11 years, Chisora has tasted defeat nine times, including to Whyte (twice),