Drysdale to outpoint Kiwi world champ
OPINION: If you think Joseph Parker’s world heavyweight boxing title triumph on Saturday night provoked some debate, wait till you get a load of the Halbergs.
The male sportsman of the year category in New Zealand’s annual celebration of sporting excellence just got a serious (and muchneeded) upgrade with Parker’s fabulous achievement in beating Mexico’s Andy Ruiz by a majority points decision to claim the vacant WBO heavyweight title belt.
But the question is entitled to be asked: where does this accomplishment rate in the larger scheme of things? Is it bigger than Mahe Drysdale’s epic retention of his single sculls Olympic gold in Rio? Or the special deeds in track and field of Tom Walsh and Nick Willis?
Does it outrate the outstanding individual feats within teams of world-class Kiwis such as Steven Adams (basketball), Winston Reid (football) and Beauden Barrett (rugby)?
My gut feeling is Drysdale’s second straight Olympic gold, achieved in a photo-finish over Croatia’s Damir Martin in Rio, still shades Parker’s feat, despite Eric Murray’s assertion that they’re similar.
And I have him on a par with the achievements of Steven Adams in the NBA in 2016, which included a spectacular playoff run with the Thunder, a sensational start to the new season and the signing of a record-obliterating US$100 million (NZ$140m) contract extension that now places him among the premier big men in the league.
I don’t see Parker as being bigger on a global scale than Adams, nor a better athlete, but when you factor in the historic nature of the boxer’s achievement you can make a case for him to shade the Kiwi hoopster. Possibly.
Apples, oranges and all that.
Let the debate begin. It is a doozey.
But let’s get one thing straight before I lay the table as I see it: This is not another attempt to denigrate the outstanding achievement of Parker. There have been enough of those, which would be puzzling and a little disturbing if you didn’t realise this is boxing.
And, let’s face it, boxing embraces controversy like Ruiz used to love a trip to the buffet.
I’m certainly not about to get all Lance Revill on Explosive Joseph. No one wants to be called a dickhead, even if it is by Dean Lonergan.
But when it comes to Parker’s contentious triumph, there are a few things that need to be factored in.
Let’s start with the decision itself. Not everyone agrees with it. (Eh, Lance?).
Clearly the fight was a close one as neither boxer was ever able to truly get on top of the other in a contest that was more tactical than it was sensational.
But with two of the three judges scoring it narrowly in Parker’s favour (the other a draw), the Kiwi clearly deserved his triumph, becoming the first New Zealandborn boxer to claim a world heavyweight title. Not one of the three assigned experts saw Ruiz winning.
Yes it was subjective. But that’s boxing. If one man doesn’t knock the other out, it comes down to how the judges saw the contest. And you have to presume credibility and independence at this level.
Also it doesn’t demean the achievement that it was a close call. Drysdale’s triumph in Rio was by the slimmest of margins (both he and Martin were credited with the same time) but that was irrelevant.
This is sport. It’s about how, not how many.
Here’s another thing. Parker is a world champion. But not THE world champion.
There are two other blokes around also entitled to call themselves heavyweight champs of the world, and another pending. Anthony Joshua holds the IBF crown, Deontay Wilder the WBC belt and the WBA’s is vacant. Until someone unifies the division, that won’t change.
Throw in that Parker won a vacant title, and didn’t beat a current champion, and that neither he nor Ruiz are rated among the division’s true elite, and there is at least an asterisk besides the big Kiwi’s world champion status.
So that leaves me thinking Drysdale gets his bowball in front of Parker for the Halberg.
The ageless rower won Olympic gold. He defended his title. He’s the best single-sculler on the planet. Not just one of ‘em.
Then I’ve got Parker and Adams in a mighty tussle for runnerup. Really, it’s a coin-flip. Both have achieved mighty things in 2016 and Adams does play in the biggest league in the world’s second biggest sport. But if you value history over money and esteem, maybe you give the boxer the edge.
After that I’d put the dazzling body of work for the year of Barrett slightly ahead of Tom Walsh’s world indoors title, Olympic bronze and Diamond league triumph. Reid (in the world’s biggest sport) and the remarkable Willis (a shiver-downthe-spine bronze in the 1500 in Rio) as highly honourable mentions.
They’ve all been fabulous. Just some a little more than others.