No loser in world title fight says Hearn
Street-wise boxing promoter Eddie Hearn believes both Joseph Parker and Anthony Joshua can battle back from a loss in their looming heavyweight unification fight.
The canny Hearn, Joshua’s boss, is working with Parker’s promoter David Higgins to try to close out the deal for the super-fight, likely to be held in Cardiff in late March.
It sees the two young Lions putting their world belts on the line in a fight that could earn Parker, the WBO champion, as much as $12m and Joshua, the WBA and IBF belt holder, more than twice that.
Hearn is adamant the two fighters are young enough and talented enough to survive losing their unbeaten records in a rejuvenated division that is screaming out for a new rivalry.
‘‘You don’t really lose in a fight like this ... it’s a unification for the world heavyweight titles,’’ Hearn explained in an interview with Stuff.
‘‘You are going to be in the mix straight off the back of it. For AJ, he gets there a lot easier because he is a huge name and can draw huge money to make fights. Parker is a little bit different but I also think that he could come back.’’
Joshua is 28 and Parker will be 26 by the time the fight rolls around.
While Parker will earn his biggest pay day should he win, lose or draw against Joshua, a victory will put him in another league, especially with the rematch clause that Higgins has negotiated ensuring the Kiwi would earn 55 per cent of a sequel fright.
‘‘If Joseph Parker wins he becomes probably the biggest thing in world boxing,’’ Hearn said.
‘‘If he doesn’t win he makes a lot of money but his profile has gone through the roof and he could come back and still be a force in the division.’’
Hearn argued that Joshua could make almost as much as this proposed stadium fight by taking a voluntary defence against a lesser opponent at a smaller venue, such was his popularity in Britain and abroad.
‘‘But he doesn’t want to do that. AJ wants to fight champions, he wants to be the unified champion. So this is the right fight for both of them,’’ Hearn said.
Higgins has a copy of the proposed contract from Hearn and is having it checked legally. If it stacks up, he will head to Britain later this week to finalise details and sign it off.
Parker would then do a whirlwind promotional tour before entering a Las Vegas training camp for the fight.