Boxing: Joseph Parker says Junior Fa is asking for too much

Junior Fa and Joseph Parker. Photos / Photosport, Greg Bowker

Joseph Parker has publicly lit a fire under his long-standing rivalry with Junior Fa, saying his fellow Kiwi heavyweight's management team is asking for "ridiculous" money for a potential fight between the pair.

In an interview with the Herald on Sunday, Parker, the former WBO world champion attempting to rebuild his career after two consecutive losses, has also questioned the standard of opposition that the undefeated Fa has faced.

The pair will fight in separate bouts in Christchurch on December 15, with Parker in the main event against American-Mexican Alexander Flores and Fa in the main undercard fight against Argentine Rogelio Omar Rossi.

Parker and Fa, who famously fought four times as amateurs with honours even at two wins each, have fought on the same card before - most recently when Parker won the WBO world title when beating Andy Ruiz Jr in Auckland nearly 24 months ago - but there will be added intrigue at the Horncastle Arena because the pair are edging closer to a professional showdown.

Fa, 29, is ranked No10 with the WBO, while Parker has dropped out of the rankings with that organisation after his losses to Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte. However, he is still ranked No5 by the WBC.

"It's a good start for him; he has ambitions to be a world champion and in order to do that you have to fight good opposition and keep maneuvering your way up the rankings," Parker told the Herald on Sunday. "So I think good on him and his team but I don't think the opposition has been the best, if I'm being brutally honest, in getting to the top 15.

"I think, for example, if we fought some of that opposition we'd get annihilated in the media in New Zealand."

Asked if there was bad blood between the pair, Parker said: "I don't think there is bad blood. We're not like 'hey, let's hang out' or anything. If I see him around I'll say 'hey, what's up', but I know he's been calling me out, so like I said, there can be a fight in the future if it makes sense and also we agree to the financial side of things.

"I truthfully think he's doing well but if he wants to fight me he needs to get a bit more experience otherwise it will be a mistake. I think he needs to get that experience by fighting top opponents, but if he's up for the challenge then why not give him the challenge?"

Asked if Fa and his manager Mark Keddell were being realistic in terms of their financial expectations, Parker said: "Truthfully, I don't think so. What we've heard from his team so far, we don't think they realistically want the fight because of what they're asking for. They're asking for too much - a number that we think is ridiculous in New Zealand.

"They've asked for a certain figure then went away and talked to a few people and came back and asked for an even bigger figure. To me, that's pretty crazy. If you want to be realistic and want a fight it has to make sense from a business perspective."

In response, Keddell confirmed he had asked for $500,000 for Fa to fight Parker, adding: "I think the fight is a couple of years away so I asked for the money that Junior should get in two years. Junior is on the way up. We've been keeping quiet - he's doing his thing. He is only a three-year pro and has had 15 wins in 15 fights.

"I'm not going to take a fight for $100,000 to fight Joseph Parker when Junior can get twice that in the United States fighting easier opposition.

"[David] Tua and [Shane] Cameron earned half a million each when they fought each other nearly 10 years ago. When you factor in inflation, I don't think asking for that in a couple of years' time is over the top. It's my responsibility to maximize his earnings and to make sure he doesn't leave the sport with nothing."

Fa is on his way back to Auckland after sparring with WBC world champion Deontay Wilder in the United States for the past four weeks. Wilder will fight Tyson Fury in Los Angeles next Sunday NZT, a bout Parker will attend.

It's understood that as a result of the camp Fa is in career-best shape.