Who, fellow fight fans, would you prefer to see Joseph Parker fight next – Zhilei Zhang in a rematch, or Joe Joyce in another rematch? The the resurgent former WBO heavyweight champ from New Zealand is contracted to fight “Big Bang” Zhang a second time – Parker of course having survived two knockdowns to win a decision over Zhang earlier this month – but Parker’s promoter, David Higgins, says “these things do vary if everyone agrees.”
Parker may be far more interested in trying to avenge the loss to Joyce, Joyce being the only man to have ever stopped Parker. And in light of how bereft the Parker-Zhang fight was, the two knockdowns aside Zhang not doing nearly enough work or putting in enough effort, it’s likely fight fans would vote for Parker-Joyce II over a Parker-Zhang II.
Higgins spoke with Sky Sports, and he said discussions are to be had regarding his fighter’s next move.
“The contract is for the Zhang rematch but these things do vary if everyone agrees,” Higgins said. “If there was a better option then we would look at the better option as long as everybody agrees. Those discussions are to be had. Joseph’s instructions to me were he wants to fight the best in the world, he wants to fight opponents ranked above him, that’s where his head is at. He wants to fight Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk, but you’ve got to be patient and take your opportunities so you don’t rule anything out.”
As he waits for the Fury-Usyk rivalry to play out, Parker wants to stay busy as he and Higgins have made clear, and a rematch with Joyce would prove exciting while giving Parker that shot at revenge. It could be that Zhang has no problem allowing Parker to move on and fight someone other than himself. Zhang may not want to fight the fast-handed, busy Parker in a rematch, as the 40 year old may feel he would suffer a similar fate if he did box the younger, far more agile Parker again.
We will wait and see what Parker does next, but we can all agree on the fact that Parker is a proven warrior, a man who is willing to fight everyone out there. The sport could do with more fighters like Joseph Parker.
Which fight would YOU prefer to see next – Parker-Joyce II, or Parker-Zhang II?