Our champ has shot at big bucks

If Joseph Parker shocks the boxing world by beating Anthony Joshua in Cardiff this morning, he will become one of the biggest names in the sport, a man in demand around the world with the potential to virtually name his price in terms of sponsorships and endorsements.

He will pocket about $13 million regardless of the result, but if he upsets the odds, the fight contract dictates he must fight Joshua again in a rematch, probably at London’s Wembley Stadium in July.

This bout at the Principality Stadium is by far the biggest heavyweight fight of the year, but if they go again in the English summer, it will break all sorts of records and make Parker very wealthy.

He would be the “A-side”, meaning he would take the lion’s share of the purse. For their fight this morning, Joshua will take home nearly $30 million. That’s the sort of money Parker is looking at should he somehow beat the home favourite.

If he loses, the manner of the loss will dictate where Parker goes from here. A close defeat in an exciting fight — and given the aggressive, open styles of Joshua and Parker, this could be a classic — will likely result in another opportunity against Joshua at some stage.

Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn, a man who has helped put British boxing back on the map, has already said a close loss for Parker could see him get a rematch.

The old saying “if it makes money, it makes sense”, applies.

A positive for Parker so far is that he has impressed Hearn and many

British boxing fans with his conduct here in terms of his professionalism and accessibility.

Should Parker lose, a fight against mandatory challenger Englishman Dillian Whyte makes sense.

But Parker’s promoter David Higgins was wary about looking too far ahead, telling the Herald on

Sunday: “In the build-up to the fight, I’ve speculated on all sorts of things and said all sorts, but most of it was deliberate. Now, I take Joseph’s opportunity very seriously and now’s not the time to run my mouth off.

“Straight after the fight, we’ll be addressing all of that.”

No matter what happens, the United Kingdom is the centre of the world boxing scene. Expect Parker to fight here again soon.