Joseph Parker celebrates his knockout win over Martin Bakole. Photo / Matchroom Boxing.
By Liam Napier in Riyadh
Frustration and determination are evident in equal measure as Joseph Parker contemplates boxing politics likely forcing him to fight once more before grasping his second shot at the world heavyweight title.
Parker departed Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Monday (NZT) brimming with confidence, his career trajectory never in better shape.
Yet after a whirlwind trip that encompassed the full range of emotions, Parker remains without the ultimate rewards.
Parker was supposed to contest the IBF world title against Daniel Dubois in Riyadh, only for the British champion to pull out two days before their anticipated bout, citing apparent sickness.
Martin Bakole stepped in to replace Dubois, and Parker duly dispatched the feared Congolese monster with a devastating overhand right that sent him crashing to the canvas and unable to recover early in the second round.
In a fair and equal world, Parker and Dubois would be rescheduled to contest the IBF title. But the highly political boxing world is anything but fair.
Despite Parker’s clear claims for an immediate title shot, Dubois is widely expected to be promoted into a unification bout with Ukrainian kingpin Oleksandr Usyk within the next three months.
In August 2023, Usyk stopped Dubois in the ninth round of their previous world title contest.
“I think there’s going to be a fight with Usyk and Dubois lined up because everyone is talking about it now. Possibly I’ll have one more fight before I can fight for the championship of the world,” Parker told the Herald.
“It sucks not fighting for the world championship. Since I lost it in 2018, I’ve been working so hard to get back to fighting for the title. I’ve had heaps of ups and downs and times when people said I should have stopped and given up.
“To get the chance to fight for it, and then it vanishes in front of you two days before the fight… At the time, I didn’t care because I was focused on the fight date and staying switched on for whoever was going to be in front of me, but now the fight is done, it doesn’t feel right.
“I feel a bit angry. How can you set up this unification fight with Usyk and Dubois when he had a fight locked in with me? It should be that I fight Dubois now I’ve beaten Bakole.
“I haven’t given up. Turki Al-Sheikh is starting to listen to the fans and the fights they want to see. If the fans are loud enough and vocal, he might change up what we think is going to happen.
“Until that fight [Usyk-Dubois] is locked in and announced, then I’ll know I have another fight before fighting for the championship. I was right there – nearly being able to grab a world title. There’s a risk now if I fight someone else, but what can I do? You have to compete at the highest level and keep winning.”
Parker continues to impress after dispatching Deontay Wilder, Zhilei Zhang and Bakole – three of the heaviest punching heavyweights of the modern era – in little more than a year to prove he will fight anyone. Even on 48 hours’ notice.
“For me, they’re great performances. There’s people who say they’re great wins and there’s people who say Wilder was past his best; Zhang is an old man; Bakole came in [at] late notice. You can’t please everyone, but that doesn’t matter as long as you’re doing what you think is right. I’ve been on a great run and I’ve turned my whole career around. I’ve dedicated my life to boxing. Working, building on strength, endurance – I’ve lifted to another level.”
With his added weight – Parker tipped the scales at a career-heaviest 121kg for Bakole, 9kg more than his win against Zhang last March – he has significantly enhanced power to complement his noted hand speed and skill.
“I felt like I still had the hand speed and I increased the power. There’s a specific way to put on the weight and keep the endurance and speed. It’s a slow grind. There’s a science to it. [Strength and conditioning coach] George Lockhart, [trainer] Andy Lee and myself have done a tremendous job getting me to this shape. It’s been hard work.
“I feel like everything is falling into place, and even though the titles are not in reach again, you just have to go with the flow. You can’t get too down not having the opportunity. Whatever comes your way, take it.”
While Parker desperately wants his second crack at the title – nine years after he captured the WBO belt in Auckland – he knows much of the boxing landscape is out of his hands.
“I want all the titles. I know I can be one of the best fighters in the world. It just takes the opportunity to show it in front of the world with someone like Usyk who has been there and done that.
“There’s a lot of things that happen behind the scenes. You have to go with the flow. If you get too caught up or too angry, it’s a waste of time and energy. All you can do is keep winning, staying in shape, and doing your job. They won’t be able to deny me forever. It’s only when you lose or things aren’t going your way that they can say, ‘You’re not that good’.”
As he waits for another title tilt, Parker could be offered unbeaten German heavyweight Agit Kabayel after he climbed off the canvas to stop Zhang in the sixth round on the same Riyadh card.
However, attempting to exercise revenge on British heavyweight Joe Joyce – after the latter handed Parker his only knockout defeat three years ago – may be more appealing as he plots a path to becoming a unified champion.
Parker’s manager David Higgins will push hard to make that dream a reality.
“There will be pressure to make the unification fight,” Higgins told the Herald. “That’s not certain because negotiations can fall apart, but Dubois-Usyk is a likely fight. In which case Joseph has to keep patiently winning. He’s a hair’s breadth away from that title shot.
“If Dubois-Usyk happens, there will be a unified champion and Joseph can have a crack at that towards the end of this year. The key is to keep winning.
“As a team now, we feel we’re right at the top echelon, and Joseph has a genuine shot at unifying the division and becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world like Muhammad Ali was, which would perhaps be the greatest achievement in New Zealand sport if it can be done.
“Most heavyweights enter their prime at 35. The way he’s fighting and the experience he boasts, he has two or three great years ahead of him at the top. He will retire as a global star.”
Parker’s adviser, influential Goldstar promoter Spencer Brown, underlined his growing credentials.
“Joe will become a two-time world champion, mark my words, but he might have to wait in the wings, which I think is unfair,” Spencer said.
“Maybe we have a warm-up fight in between. One thing about Joe is you’ve got to keep him busy because when he’s stale, he’s not as good a fighter. He’s been out for a long time [11 months] before this fight and he’s landed two big shots and knocked his opponent out.
“After the last three fights Joe now looks bigger and stronger than ever. No one is going to want that smoke. He’s the danger man of the division now. He took out the boogeyman and now he’s the boogeyman.”
One more win and Parker should, finally, secure his long-awaited shot at the coveted crowns.
Liam Napier travelled to Riyadh courtesy of Mānuka Doctor.
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