Parker fight talks ‘on a knife edge’
Contract negotiations for Joseph Parker’s proposed heavyweight clash with Britain’s Joe Joyce are ‘‘on a knife-edge’’.
The fight has been talked up in Britain for July 2 at Wembley Arena, but there are complications that now put a question mark over that date.
Parker’s manager David Higgins is in intense talks with
Joyce’s promoter Frank Warren who is now looking for a multifight deal with Parker who is a free agent.
Higgins said there was only ‘‘a slim chance’’ of the July 2 date being met.
With Parker home on a surprise visit to his family in Auckland, Higgins said a fight contract would have to land in the next few days for that to happen, requiring Parker to get in an appropriate UK camp with his trainer Andy Lee.
‘‘It’s on a knife-edge,’’ Higgins said. ‘‘They want a longer term deal which means it needs to be carefully contracted, every eventually needs to be 100% right. If it was one fight against Joyce it would be easier.’’
Higgins’ theory is that Parker looked so good in his December demolition of Dereck Chisora in Manchester that the Joyce team is now worried, especially with the WBO’S mandatory challenging position to the heavyweight title at stake.
‘‘They are now putting a lot of effort into tying Joe up for more than one fight. That works as long as the contract is well set out and protects Joseph,’’ Higgins said.
The delicate nature of the negotiations could see the highly anticipated fight pushed out.