Joseph Parker likely to get Alexander Dimitrenko test as final prep for shot at Joshua

07/25/2016 James Slater

It’s not official yet, but New Zealand media feel tomorrow’s press conference hosted by Joseph Parker’s promoter Dean Lonergan will confirm how the IBF mandatory challenger will face experienced Ukrainian Alexander Dimitrenko in his next fight, penciled in for September. Parker, unbeaten at 20-0 and coming off a 4th-round stoppage of Solomon Haumono, is expected to get his shot at Anthony Joshua late this year or early next year, but he and his team want to gain more experience before the expected trip to London. And this is where 34-year-old Dimitrenko comes in (or is expected to come in according to a report by The New Zealand Herald).

Dimitrenko, 38-2(24) is big at 6’7” and he has mixed it with some good fighters during his 15 year pro career – including Eddie Chambers, Albert Sosnowski and Kubrat Pulev. Parker will be facing the tallest pro opponent of his career thus far and he and his team obviously feel the fight will be great preparation for the Joshua fight.

Fresh off his stoppage win over Haumono, Joseph Parker will box another prep fight for Joshua shot; opponent to be named Tuesday

07/22/201607/22/2016 James Slater

Unbeaten heavyweight contender Joseph Parker certainly likes to keep active. The 24-year-old New Zealander picked up a 4th-round stoppage win over Solomon Haumono yesterday and he is expected to get his mandatory shot at IBF heavyweight ruler Anthony Joshua late this year or early next. But in the meantime, the 20-0 contender will have another “tune-up” or “prep” fight ahead of the big one.

His promoter Dean Lonergan informed Stuff.co.nz how he will make an official announcement next Tuesday in Auckland, with Parker’s next opponent to be named. Lonergan did not give too much away yesterday, but he did say how Parker will, in his next fight, be facing “something we haven’t faced before.”

Joseph Parker stops Solomon Haumono in 4th-round – Team-Haumono launch protest

07/21/2016 James Slater

Today in Christchurch, New Zealand, unbeaten IBF mandatory heavyweight contender Joseph Parker scored a dominant 4th-round stoppage over a game Solomon Haumono. A right uppercut to the head floored Haumono in the 4th, the 40-year-old being halted after 95-seconds of the session. Parker is now 20-0(17) and he awaits his shot at IBF champ Anthony Joshua. Haumono falls to 24-3-2(21) but he and his team have launched a protest insisting he was the victim of a short count.

Parker vs Haumono: Trainer Justin Fortune says Solomon Haumono hits as hard as Foreman, needs to “make Parker angry”

07/15/2016 James Slater

During his time in boxing, trainer and former pro Justin Fortune has tasted, either in a real fight or in sparring, the power of Lennox Lewis, Tommy Morrison and, arguably the freakishly strongest puncher of them all, George Foreman. Fortune, speaking before the media in Sydney this week ahead of his fighter Solomon Haumono’s clash with unbeaten IBF number-one contender Joseph Parker, said Haumono has power to match all three.

Parker’s manager: “How is AJ going to go when he’s eating Joseph’s jab all night?”

06/29/201606/29/2016 James Slater

Unbeaten Joseph Parker, the mandatory challenger for Anthony Joshua and his IBF heavyweight title, was confident before this past Saturday’s defence by Joshua against Dominic Breazeale, but the New Zealander and his team are even more confident of taking the title when the fight happens; so says Parker’s manager, Dean Lonergan. Speaking with Sky Sports, Lonergan said he wants the fight to happen this year, ideally in November or December, and that he has no doubt his man will win when the big night comes.

Hearn says it could be Joseph Parker next for Anthony Joshua

06/26/201606/26/2016 James Slater

Anthony Joshua fought through a virus in the lead-up to last night’s 7th-round stoppage win over a game Dominic Breazeale, his promoter Eddie Hearn tells Sky Sports. Hearn says there was even a possibility the fight could have been called off. But Joshua won as we know, he retained his IBF heavyweight belt for the first time and he now looks ahead to his next fight. Hearn said Joshua will “take a long rest” first, but that he could return in November; with mandatory challenger Joseph Parker being a strong possibility.

Justin Fortune: “Solomon Haumono can punch like a train” – confident of upsetting Joseph Parker

06/19/2016 James Slater

40-year-old Solomon Haumono will certainly be ruining a lot of big plans if he pulls off the upset and defeats top-ranked IBF heavyweight contender Joseph Parker when they meet next month, but Haumono’s trainer Justin Fortune is confident it can happen. Currently training the 24-2-2(21) giant in Los Angeles, Fortune – best known as a former co-trainer of superstar Manny Pacquiao but also a former heavyweight himself – told The Daily Telegraph that “Sol,” as he refers to Haumono, is “going to be completely different to anything he has ever shown in the past.”

Joseph Parker visits Sonny Liston’s gravesite, speaks about the need to have “the right people around you”

06/17/2016 James Slater

Heavyweight great Mike Tyson used to visit the gravesite of the legendary Sonny Liston (and maybe still does) and, legend has it, Tyson would carry out imaginary conversations with the 1960s heavyweight king who was so mysterious in so many ways. Tyson found inspiration from his visits with Liston and another fighter who aims to become the next heavyweight ruler, in New Zealand’s Joseph Parker, has reportedly been paying homage to Liston at his final resting place just outside of Las Vegas.

Team-Parker want big fight with David Haye in UK, say a win would make him a superstar in England

05/30/2016 James Slater

Joseph Parker’s promoter Deal Lonergan has revealed how he has been in talks with the UK’s Eddie Hearn about the idea of having Parker, the mandatory challenger for Anthony Joshua’s IBF belt, fighting on a Joshua under-card this November. The plan is to make Parker a big name in the UK, so as to make the upcoming Joshua-Parker fight that much bigger. Lonergan also spoke to The New Zealand Herald about his desire to match his unbeaten fighter with former champ David Haye.

Joseph Parker’s promoter claims his fighter will conquer Britain: “We’ll beat Joshua then KO Whyte, Haye, Chisora, Fury!”

05/27/2016 James Slater

British fight fans may not like it, and it’s likely British heavyweight stars Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and David Haye will not find it amusing either, but Joseph Parker’s manager Dean Lonergan has gone on record as saying his fighter will knock out any and every British heavyweight Parker may face after winning the IBF belt from Anthony Joshua. Parker earned a shot at Joshua’s IBF belt with a hard-fought 12-round points win over Carlos Takam last week, and he is eyeing a shot at A.J this year or early next.