Joseph Parker was set to fight Joe Joyce, but the fight fell apart, with both sides blaming the other. Michael Hunter was set to fight Hughie Fury, but Fury fell out ill. Now it seems there is a good chance Parker and Hunter will fight each other. The two heavyweights exchanged messages on social media yesterday and the two seem very interested in fighting one another.
“Smoke for hire. @joeboxerparker is ready for a heavyweight rival to step up,” a message from Parker reads.
“My team let BOXXER know I was up for it,” responded Hunter.
“You’re locked into fight Hughie?” Parker queried.
“Nope. Let’s dance,” Hunter shot back.
“No problem since @JoeJoyceBoxing don’t want £1.2m,” Parker wrote.
Now that a Parker-Joyce fight is, in the words of Frank Warren, “dead,” it seems Parker will indeed be fighting someone else and Hunter is in the frame. Not a bad match-up (although many fans would no doubt have much preferred to see Parker Vs Joyce), Parker-Hunter would probably attract some fan attention. And who wins if Parker and Hunter do get it on?
Hunter hasn’t looked great in his recent fights, struggling as he did with Jerry Forrest in his last fight where the 33 year old was deemed lucky to have been given a draw back in December. Hunter is 20-1-2(14) overall. Parker, 30-2(21) is coming off a commanding points win over Dereck Chisora and the New Zealander is still only 30.
Let’s see if Parker and Hunter do fight, around September time, in the UK. Again, a decent fight, if not the one we wanted and were pretty much promised back in April when Joyce-Parker was “announced.”
As for Joyce, “The Juggernaut” did as was fully expected last night in taking care of late sub Christian Hammer. Joyce needs the big fights next and he needs them soon. Joyce will be back out in September, on the 24th, Warren says. Against who we can only guess at this point. All the top names seem to be locked into other fights, leaving Joyce out in the cold. For now.