Famed boxing historian says Joseph Parker-Andy Ruiz fight 'an embarrassment' to boxing

New Zealand heavyweight boxer Joseph Parker celebrates with the WBO belt after defeating Andy Ruiz Jr. Photosport

Muhammad Ali's biographer Thomas Hauser says calling Joseph Parker's victory over Andy Ruiz Jnr a world championship fight is "an embarrassment' to boxing.

The famed boxing writer and historian has published a long list of boxing publications and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times.

Hauser has told the Radio Sport Breakfast he wasn't impressed by what he saw in Parker's WBO heavyweight title fight against Ruiz on Saturday night in Auckland and says David Tua would have knocked out the fellow New Zealander in a couple of rounds.

"To call that a world championship fight is an embarrassment to the sport. Neither guy is an elite fighter," Hauser said.

"Ruiz came into the ring looking like the Pillsbury Doughboy and he basically fights like a guy in a tough man contest. Joseph Parker has limited ability. Are they professional fighters? Yes. But don't call this a world championship fight because that demeans the sport of boxing."

"Why would anyone look at Joseph Parker and say 'this is a world champion?'. David Tua in my estimation would have knocked Joseph Parker into the third row."

Hauser said he has plenty of respect for Parker but he said the state of boxing is ruined by the number of heavyweight titles up for grabs in each division.

Parker is currently one of three title holders in the heavyweight division. Deontay Wilder is the WBC champion, Anthony Joshua the IBF champion while the WBA is currently vacant.

"That's killing boxing...we don't have four gold medal winners in the 100 dash at the Olympics. So why do we have four, five, six champions in each weight division," Hauser said.

Listen: Thomas Hauser talks to the Radio Sport Breakfast

"I have a great deal of respect for professional fighters. Joseph Parker gets in the ring and fights, while I sit on the easy side of the ropes. If you want to make this the main event for a club show then fine. It was a spirited fight. It was a competitive fight but one of the biggest problems boxing has today worldwide, nobody knows who the champions are, particularly in the United States.

"If I go out on the street today and ask a hundred people who is the heavyweight champion of the world, the answer I'm going to get most is 'Well, I don't think it's still Mike Tyson'."

Hauser said the WBO title is good for Parker in the short term and should make a lot of money, however he said that it the key issue with boxing at the moment.

"The WBO belt is worth a lot from a marketing point of view...there are people who will pay to fight Parker because he has the belt. Short-term thinking overall for the sport, that's one of the things that is ruining the sport boxing because Joseph Parker is not a real heavyweight champion of the world now."

Hauser says the only way to find the real champion of the world would be to hold a tournament with eight fighters to determine the best. He would have Parker seeded eighth in that tournament and expects he would lose the first fight.

"Joseph can improve. He's improved so far and keep getting better. I was not overly impressed with what I saw against Andy Ruiz. I saw a solid fighter but one who wasn't really world class yet who is predictable in the ring. The fact that Andy Ruiz had Joseph Parker in retreat for much of the fight speaks for itself."