Fresh off his big upset win over an oddly lethargic Deontay Wilder, former WBO heavyweight champ Joseph Parker is looking to keep the momentum going, with the New Zealander eyeing a ring return in March. Parker, who showed real grit and self-belief in bouncing back from a brutal stoppage defeat to Joe Joyce, winning four fights on the spin, is firmly back as a major player in the division.
But who might Parker fight next? David Higgins, Parker’s manager, spoke with Sky Sports over the weekend, said, quite correctly, how Parker’s resume proves the 31 year old is quite literally willing to face any big name in the division, with Parker having been in there with the likes of Andy Ruiz, Anthony Joshua, Dillian Whyte, Derek Chisora, Joyce, and of course Wilder.
Based on his fighter’s big win over Wilder, Higgins says his man has “earned” a rematch with Joshua. Also, a fight with Oleksandr Usyk is one Parker would “jump at,” according to Higgins. One man Parker will never fight is good friend Tyson Fury, but anyone else….bring them on, says Higgins on behalf of his fighter. But would a Joshua-Parker rematch sell? AJ as we know scored a dominant, not too exciting decision win over Parker, 34-3(23) back in March of 2018.
“Joseph has earned that fight in my opinion and the Saudis would see merit in Parker against Anthony Joshua,” Higgins stated. “It might not be next, there might be a bit more work to do but I think that’s the fight fans want to see. It’s a merit-based fight. In terms of opponents, Joseph will fight anyone and if you look at all the names on his resume…..the list goes on and he’s still only 31 years old. We’ll fight Anthony Joshua in a heartbeat. [and] if the fight came up (with Usyk) I’m sure Joseph would jump at the opportunity, it would be a great fight and yes I think he could win the fight.”
The problem Parker may have over the coming months is being able to lock down a massive fight such as one with AJ or Usyk. Usyk we know has his big rivalry with Fury to deal with, and this could take pretty much the full year, what with the two expected to have two fights. While Eddie Hearn has outlined Joshua’s plans for his next fight, with AJ looking at fighting again in March, with Filip Hrgovic, Francis Ngannou and Zhilei Zhang the three names being looked at.
But Parker is in a good place, and he must be rewarded with a big fight here in 2024. Who knows, maybe that rematch against Joshua will be made in Saudi Arabia? In the meantime, it will be interesting to see who Parker fights next, with Higgins saying the month of March is being looked at.