Former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker wants Dillian Whyte to know that he’s ready to fight him if he can’t get an opponent after he faces Alexander Povetkin next.
Parker (27-2, 21 KOs) knows how tough it’s been for Whyte (27-1, 18 KOs) to land the crucial fights against big-name fighters like Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder in the last four years.
Parker also has a more important reason for wanting to fight Whyte. He wants to avenge his loss to him from July 2018 in which Whyte beat him by a close 12 round unanimous decision at the O2 Arena in London, England.
It was a fight which Whyte roughed Parker up, knocking him down in the 2nd round.
When Parker finally fought with a sense of urgency for the first time in the fight, he dropped Whyte hard in the 12th round. Whyte lucked out that the final bell rang before Parker could finish him off because he was severely hurt.
It’s highly doubtful that Whyte will take a chance of fighting Parker a second time because he’s got a guaranteed title shot with his WBC mandatory status.
Whyte, 32, is already taking a considerable risk in facing former WBA heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin (35-2-1, 24 KOs) in his next fight.
This is a big risk for Whyte, especially with the way he looked in his last contest against Mariusz Wach in Saudi. If Whyte fights like that against Povetkin, he’ll get stopped.
“Dillian and I have history with the fight that we had, and obviously I want a rematch, and I think that’s probably the reason why he’s getting a bit agitated,” Parker told Sky News. “I’m calling him out and saying I can beat you.
But if there’s no-one there willing to give him that opportunity if no-one wants to fight him, I’m always here. I’m willing, I’m able, and I’m ready.
“I hope so. I’m not sure if he will, but I hope he does because I think it will be a great fight again,” said Parker.
If Parker fights Whyte with the same aggression that he showed in the 12th round of their fight, he’ll stop him for sure. Whyte was reeling under the heavy blows from Parker, and he couldn’t take his power when he finally opened up on him full bore.
Parker, 28, has won his last three fights in beating Shawndell Winters, Alex Leapai, and Alexander Flores. In Parker’s recent win over little known Winters, he knocked him out in the fifth round last February in London. Although Parker knocked Winters out, he took a lot of heavy shots from him, and it wasn’t a particularly impressive performance.
Parker should have been facing better opposition than what he has, considering that the fans have mainly ignored his victories. To get noticed in boxing, fighters need to take on quality guys, and for some reason, Parker’s management keeps feeding his stiffs.
Whether that’s a sign of them having no confidence in Parker is unknown, but it doesn’t matter. The fact is, the last two years of Parker’s career did nothing for him whatsoever in redeeming him from his losses to Whyte and Anthony Joshua.
