Joseph Parker in action against Alex Leapai. Photo / Photosport
Joseph Parker in action against Alex Leapai. Photo / Photosport
Joseph Parker and Dereck Chisora look set to trade blows in London in October.
The twists and turns of boxing's behind-the-scenes negotiations means nothing is set in stone yet, but it looks like an October 26 fight at O2 arena is the frontrunner.
It was originally thought the Parker-Chisora fightwould be perfect second-billing for Anthony Joshua's rematch with Any Ruiz Jr, as the Brit attempts to regain the WBA, IBF and WBO world heavyweight belts after his shock defeat in June.
But with details still being worked out for that, Parker wants instead to get a statement fight in the bank quickly as he tries to work his way back into championship contention.
Victory against Chisora would go some way towards that.
"I've reached out to Eddie and Frank Hearn but haven't had anything formal from them yet," said Parker's manager David Higgins. "It sounds plausible though that Parker-Chisora would be the main event at O2 in October."
June 29, 2019; Providence, RI; Joseph Parker and Alex Leapai during their June 29, 2019 Matchroom Boxing USA card at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, RI. Photo / MatchroomboxingUSA.
Higgins said he had talked to Parker about that scenario and the heavyweight was champing at the bit to get the deal done.
While fighting on a Joshua-Ruiz undercard would have been attractive, it also comes with pitfalls, not least that Parker would have spent a longer time out of the ring.
It also relegates the importance of the fight as all the attention would be on the main event.
Headlining a venue like O2 against a popular fighter in Chisora makes a lot of sense. And dollars.
If parker was the superstitious type, he might look at the fight with some trepidation.
While Parker's record stands at an impressive 26-2 (20 KOs), his two losses have come against hard-punching Britons. Chisora, despite a more modest 31-9 (22 KOs) record, would certainly fit into that category.
In June, Chisora made a powerful statement with a brutal second-round knockout of Artur Szpilka. The Pole had previously fought Deontay Wilder for the WBC world heavyweight championship.
It will be the second fight of Parker's three-bout deal with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom promotions. His first was a comfortable, if slightly frustrating, 10th round TKO of fellow Samoan Alex Leapai, a late replacement for original opponent Eric Molina.
A knockout win against the Zimbabwean-born Chisora would present Parker with the opportunity to start calling out the belt holders again.
