Dillian Whyte will meet Joseph Parker in a crunch Heavyweight clash at The O2 in London on July 28, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
Whyte is on the cusp of World title action destroyed Lucas Browne with a devastating sixth round KO of the Australian in London in March to defend the WBC Silver title and number one ranking he’d landed by beating Robert Helenius in Cardiff in October.
Parker is back in the UK after fighting in the Welsh capital in an historic unification battle with Anthony Joshua in March, with Whyte’s old foe handing a first career defeat for the New Zealand star on points. Parker is in Britain for the third fight in a row having made his second defence of his WBO crown against Hughie Fury in Manchester in September 2017.
“There’s going to be blood, pain and a knockout,” said Whyte. “I’m bang up for this.
“He’s a good fighter but he didn’t show much courage against Joshua. I want him to be more adventurous and not go on the run, but he knows that if he has a fight against me, he’s getting knocked out clean and in a brutal way.
“I like challenges and I rise to them, this is a big fight. There’s a massive incentive for me to wipe him out and show the world that I am ready to be the top man in the division – I want a World title and I know I can beat Deontay Wilder and Joshua.
“We’re back at The O2, it’s always a great atmosphere inside the arena and I’ll be looking to get a similar result to my last fight there.
“Beating Parker should almost guarantee me a World title shot but let’s see. He’s going to be very desperate, I’m expecting the best Joseph Parker because he can’t afford to have back to back defeats, but that’s exactly what he’s going to get, and it’s going to be another massive KO win for me at The O2.”
“We’ve both been in with AJ. One of us ended the fight on our feet, the other didn’t. That pretty much speaks for itself,” said Parker – the only fighter to so far take Joshua the full distance.
“I’m really looking forward to fighting Dillian. He’s got a big mouth and says some funny things – and he’s also highly entertaining in the ring. It’ll be an incredible fight. There’s no doubt about that.
“I’m really happy with how things have things have worked out. I know it took a lot of hard work from my team to get this over the line.”
“This fight came out of nowhere and I can’t quite believe it’s happening,” said Whyte’s promoter Eddie Hearn. “Two guys that will fight anyone agreed a fight within hours and now we have the prospect of a brilliant Heavyweight match up that will play a major part in shaping the division.
“Dillian has become a major force and Joseph is putting it all on the line after taking AJ the distance for the first time. Both want a return shot at the title and a win in such a high profile match up will be more effective than any eliminator-this could be a classic.
“We are planning a big night and a huge card at The O2 on July 28 and I really do take my hat off to Dillian and Joseph for taking on this challenge.”
“This a proper 50-50 fight,” said Parker’s promoter David Higgins. “It could go either way. That makes it the most interesting Heavyweight fight this year.
“It’s the people’s eliminator. Whyte shook up Joshua and Parker is the first man to take him the distance. There’s no doubt the winner should move into a mandatory challenger spot.
“Dillian’s a good fighter who takes chances. He’s incredibly dangerous. We saw that with the way he KO’d Lucas Browne. Joseph will have to deal with a physical and verbal onslaught – but he’s well and truly up for the challenge.
“He’s coming off what is probably the second biggest pay per view event in European history and has already earned respect with the British public. His goal is to shut Whyte up by knocking him out and then get a rematch with Joshua – with a different referee.
“Boxing is the riskiest business in the world. A promoter’s job is to find the best opportunity for their boxer. That means keeping all options on the table.
“I make no apologies for making the best possible deal for Joseph Parker. The reality is no deal was ever going to without the Parkers being fully satisfied with what was on the table.
“This fight is a great opportunity for Joseph and for Dillian. It’s a fight the world wants to see.
“Yes, we were negotiating with Jennings but we were also negotiating with other parties. In the end, Eddie and I managed to make a deal that has led to what will be one of the most compelling Heavyweight fights of the year.
“It’s a real credit to Eddie and Dillian that we’ve been able to make this fight happen. They’ve been confident and decisive from the outset – and that was a huge factor in getting us to where we are today.”
12,000 TICKETS SOLD TODAY FOR WHYTE VS PARKER
12,000 tickets have been sold today for the crunch Heavyweight clash between Dillian Whyte and Joseph Parker at The O2 in London on July 28, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
Tickets flew out on general sale today after venue and Matchroom Fight Pass pre-sales sold-out with fans flocking to witness the Heavyweight tussle supported by a bumper bill.
Whyte is on the cusp of World title action destroyed Lucas Browne with a devastating sixth round KO of the Australian in London in March to defend the WBC Silver title and number one ranking he’d landed by beating Robert Helenius in Cardiff in October.
Parker is back in the UK after fighting in the Welsh capital in an historic unification battle with Anthony Joshua in March, with Whyte’s old foe handing a first career defeat for the New Zealand star on points. Parker is in Britain for the third fight in a row having made his second defence of his WBO crown against Hughie Fury in Manchester in September 2017.
Another 50-50 Heavyweight battle was added to the card today as former World title challengers Dereck Chisora and Carlos Takam meet in a must-win match up that will keep the World title hopes stay alive for the winner, but the loser’s career at the highest level all but over.
Kell Brook clashes with Brandon Cook in a World Super-Lightweight title eliminator, Katie Taylor defends her WBA and IBF World Lightweight titles against Kimberly Connor, Conor Benn and Cedric Peynaud rematch after their fight of the year brawl in 2017 with a title on the line this time and Joshua Buatsi steps up in his first ten rounder against former British Light-Heavyweight title challenger Ricky Summers.
Tickets on general sale from www.theO2.co.uk and on 0844 856 0202.
Tickets are priced £40, £60 and £80.
EGGINGTON STEPS IN TO FACE COOK AT THE O2
Sam Eggington will face Brandon Cook on the undercard of Dillian Whyte’s crunch Heavyweight clash with Joseph Parker at The O2 in London on July 28, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
‘The Savage’ steps up to the plate at short notice after an injury forced Sheffield’s Kell Brook to withdraw from his World Super-Welterweight title eliminator with Cook.
A revived Eggington has made short work of his opponents since moving up to Super-Welter and knows that a win against Canada’s Cook will rocket him into title contention at his new weight.
“I’m buzzing to get back to the O2 on a massive PPV show,” said Eggington.
“There was no way I was turning down this fight when they offered it to me. Cook likes to come forward and fight so I’m predicting a war, he’s going to try and make it a hard night for me.
“He’s ranked highly in three governing bodies so getting a win against him would do me wonders. Moving up to Super-Welterweight has given me even more energy to grind down my opponents and do damage late on and I’ll be looking to do exactly that next week.”
“I’m delighted that I’ll still be fighting in London on July 28,” said Cook. “All of my hard work in the gym isn’t going to waste and I’m excited to show the British public what I’m all about. Sam is a tough opponent that comes to fight so I’ll need to be at my very best to beat him.”
Elsewhere on a massive night of action at The O2, former Heavyweight World title challengers Dereck Chisora and Carlos Takam clash for the WBA International Heavyweight belt in a must-win match up, Joshua Buatsi goes for his first pro title when he fights for the WBC International Light-Heavyweight crown, Katie Taylor defends her WBA and IBF World Lightweight titles against Kimberly Connor, Conor Benn and Cedric Peynaud rematch after their fight of the year brawl in 2017 and unbeaten Super-Welterweights Anthony Fowler and Craig O’Brien meet over eight rounds.
Face value tickets for July 28 are available from http://www.stubhub.co.uk/ matchroom-boxing-tickets/
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