AJ v PARKER ON AT LAST
Cardiff date for world title bout
THe worst kept secret in sport is out and the first super fight of the new year is on.
Anthony Joshua, to no surprise, will meet new Zealand’s Joseph parker at Cardiff’s principality Stadium on March 31.
Joshua’s 2018 campaign to become the first undisputed world heavyweight champion since lennox lewis begins here.
If he succeeds in that ambition Joshua will actually go one better than lewis because a fifth belt, the IBo has since been added to the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBo titles.
Joshua will bring his tally up to four if he defeats the also undefeated parker, who is currently the WBo champion.
Joshua will be a huge betting favourite but parker is threatening to ‘smash the glass jaw’ of the muscular englishman, who he believes to be over-rated.
Joshua is returning to the Cardiff scene of his last fight, the harder than expected victory over the unheralded and much smaller Carlos Takam.
He says: ‘These unification fights can be tough as we saw but on that night I came out with my belts and we both received massive respect.’ This is the era of the mega fights in major stadia that Joshua launched with his epic victory over Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley, which added the WBA and IBo titles to his IBF crown.
parker insists he will pull off a huge upset against the man who described him as ‘that little kid from new Zealand’.
nevertheless, the question is already being asked as to how soon Joshua can complete what is now the full set of heavyweight belts by taking on America’s WBC champion Deontay Wilder. In anticipation of Joshua beating parker the wheels are already turning towards the Wilder fight in las Vegas this summer, which would be AJ’s first venture into the fight capital of the world and another major step towards marketing himself in the uS.
Should he be first to pull the trigger between two knockout merchants then the stage will be set for a return to Wembley for the huge domestic bonanza to which Tyson Fury is agitating.
Fury must first succeed in his application to be relicensed following drugs suspensions, then train off his surplus weight in order to impress in at least one comeback fight. He hopes to make his return to the ring in April.
Speaking further about the parker fight, Joshua said: ‘These fights aren’t easy because there is a lot on the line, so respect to team parker for taking the challenge. I love this game. I am looking forward to it, training camp is under way and before you know it March 31 will be upon us.’ The negotiations with parker were complicated and are likely to be even more so with Wilder and Fury, but as his promoter eddie Hearn says: ‘AJ should be given even more respect for his willingness to come to terms so that he can fulfil his legacy.’