Top-ranked heavyweight contender and former WBO champion Joseph Parker wants to stay sharp as he waits for his earned shot at becoming a two-time heavyweight champ. Dillian Whyte wants to make the most of the career he has left by taking any big fight he can get his hands on.
So, what about a rematch between Whyte and Parker? The two met back in July of 2018, and not only was it a good, exciting fight, it was also close, with both men scoring knockdowns, this before Whyte eventually got the decision victory.
33 year old Parker, 36-3(24) is currently in a far better position than the one the 31-3(21) Whyte finds himself in, this as the New Zealander has reeled off six straight wins, two of these wins being victories over Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang. 37 year old Whyte, meanwhile, has looked pretty poor in his last couple of fights, especially last time out when he laboured to an eventual stoppage win over Ebenezer Tetteh.
Is there enough in it for Parker to say yes?
So, could a rematch between these two happen? An obvious question, aside from staying active and getting a chance to avenge a loss, is what would be in it for Parker?
Spencer Oliver, speaking on Talk Sport, broke it down.
“For Dillian Whyte he is looking to get his career back on track and get in the big fights,” Oliver said. “A great opportunity is against Joseph Parker, he is struggling to get a fight – run that [fight] back. Parker has that momentum, the motivation for Parker is that he can’t get any other fight. He is going to need some sort of tune-up, Dillian is that prime name and he holds a victory over him. I know people would think, ‘what’s in it for Joseph?’ Well, it’s a good fight.”
Whyte has nowhere else to go—and he knows it
Oliver makes a good point when he says there is “no other fight” out there for Parker right now, this as the WBO interim champ waits for his so thoroughly deserved shot at the Oleksandr Usyk-Daniel Dubois rematch winner. And, yes, a shot at revenge is always something that motivates a fighter’s ego. As for Whyte, he would absolutely take a rematch with Parker, as the money would be good, and because Whyte, being real about it, hasn’t got anywhere else to go at this point in time. And Whyte would believe he would beat Parker a second time.
As an under card fight, or maybe even as a stand alone fight, Parker-Whyte II makes at least a decent amount of sense.
Agree or disagree?
