'JOHN' WAYNE PARR: THE GUNSLINGER RETURNS!
By Tony Nobbs
10.04 - Former Australian Middleweight Champion 'John' Wayne Parr returns to boxing when he faces New Zealander Mike Cope on the Briggs-Castro undercard on Sunday at Carrara Stadium on the Gold Coast. The 26 year old former Muay Thai World Champion has been absent since losing his Aussie Title to Ian McLeod in October 2001 which saw him leave with a record of 9-2 all wins by knockout and if previous performances are any indication his clash with Cope, also a Kickboxer of note, will be almost worth the admission itself.
Cope hasn't got a flash record but his three losses have been on points, to current IBF rated Sam Soliman, Sakio Bika, who fights for the vacant Australian Middleweight Title tomorrow tonight and Queensland prospect Chris Hamilton. In his last bout he knocked out then number three Australian Nick Lundh in five rounds to capture the Victorian State 160 lb Title.
Parr, back in training with Rod Waterhouse, who he first linked with at the start of 2000, originally turned professional (boxing) in January 1998 with this writer working as a part time trainer. After scoring two knockouts in the second and first rounds respectively he returned to Thailand and continued his already budding international Muay Thai career.
In late 2000 he became accepted as one of the greats of MT by winning the World Middleweight Championship from legendary Thai Orono in front of 120,000 fanatics at the famed Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok. In doing so, he became only the third Westerner ever to achieve the feat.
He came back to Australia and with only two weeks break returned to boxing scoring a one round knockout against Byron Lucas, an opponent with over 100 amateur bouts. The Gold Coaster then focused solely on boxing and won his National Title with a ten round TKO over Andrily Khamula on July 8 2001 and less than six weeks later gave away the first three rounds and lost a decision to current WBC number two Super Welter Nader Hamden in a fight this writer and many others felt Parr won going away. That fight, held in Sydney, was for the Hamden's IBF Pan Pacific 154 lb Belt. Parr then got off the mat to stop Abdul Rasheed in five rounds in September before surrendering his Title to Mcleod.
"Frustrated" with his disappointing performance agains McLeod in front of his hometown fans at Surfers Paradise, and then getting the travel bug again, Parr moved to Las Vegas early last year where he ran a Muay Thai Gymnasium and had a few MT fights. He also met and married Angela Rivera before returning home with a pregnant Angela.
"My wife is the most famous Muay Thai female fighter in the U.S" says a proud husband and father of two month old daughter Jasmine.
The couple now live in the same apartment block as his long time friend Paul Briggs and his wife Tasha with 'John' Wayne and 'Hurricane' Briggs do their roadwork each morning side by side and then head to Waterhouse's home gym to train together.
"I can't wait for next Sunday. It's going to be awesome. It's such a big fight for Paul and because we are mates, to be on the undercard and part of it all is going to be a buzz.
Mike Cope is durable fighter and he will walk up all day. I hope the crowed get into it, because the more they cheer the more I give" hinted the only outsider to win Thailand's prestigious Kings Cup Muay Thai Tournament.
Parr, affectionately known as 'JWP' boxed an exhibition in Surfers Mall last Saturday and looked a refreshed fighter, very relaxed and a lot more nimble on his toes than ever.
"It's taken a while to get back into the boxing. But working out with Paul and the other boys in the gym has helped me heaps" Parr said after going three rounds with Briggs and another six with Pads Man Richard Walsh who later took Briggs through six rounds after the WBC number seven 175 pounder had boxed three with Australian number five Super Middle Juarne Dowling before a steaming mid morning crowd of 300.
Parr-Cope is the third bout on Sunday's six fight card. Considering the fact that Cope's last victim, Nick Lundh came within a whisker of knocking out 'JWP' conqueror Ian Mcleod in September along with Parr's infamous take no prisoners approach and Cope's well earned reputation as a hard whacking, come to fight tough nut with the heart of Phar Lap, it will be a good idea to grab your hot dogs and beers before this one gets started.
Sundays program gets underway at Noon with Pay Per View Station Main Event covering it live, bringing expert commentary from Paul Upham, Grantlee Kieza and Troy Waters.
