A heavyweight championship unification bought has been signed between WBA (Super), IBF and IBO Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua and WBO Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua. / Supplied by Sky UK
Joseph Parker is on the brink of a life-changing event, one which could set him up financially for life and one which could lead to even greater riches.
It is a remarkable opportunity, which, hopefully, he will make the most of because the modest 26-year-old from South Auckland must see this fight deal, which has taken many months of hard negotiating on the part of his promoter David Higgins, as just the start, not the finish.
It is a fight which will come with hype that Parker has never experienced before. His last bout – against Hughie Fury in September - was in the United Kingdom too, but this unification scrap against Anthony Joshua in Cardiff on March 31 is on a completely different level.
That's not to say Parker won't be able to handle the increased glare of the spotlight and the razzmatazz that goes with it. He has shown impressive mental fortitude before and during some of his most recent fights and is likely to hold his own fairly comfortably in what will be a hugely anticipated press conference alongside Joshua in London.
But whereas the Fury promotion was watched by the proverbial man and his dog on YouTube following a promotion which could be described as modest, this one will have the full might of Sky Sports UK behind it and will make waves around the world. His every move and utterance will be analysed.
FILE- In this file photo dated Saturday, April 29, 2017, British boxer Anthony Joshua celebrates after beating Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley stadium in London. Photo / AP.
After his media commitments in London, Parker will travel back to his Las Vegas base with trainer Kevin Barry and will seek to find the snap and condition which underlined his professional career from its start in 2012 until near the end of 2016.
His last two performances after his points victory over Andy Ruiz Jr in December 2016 – against Razvan Cojanu and Fury – haven't been his best, and Parker will be under pressure to slim down considerably after his break in New Zealand and Samoa.
Parker, recently described as the "King of Pies" by a talkshow host, has looked at his best at 107kg or 108kg and trainer Barry has already stated he wants him back to that level again. It won't be easy (he described his physical shape as "circle" recently) but the potential rewards – both in terms of financial and the collection of three of the four recognize world heavyweight title belts - demand it.
Even his most ardent supporter will know Parker is the underdog in this fight but he has passed every challenge in his career so far and has all the weapons to get the victory.
His speed, ability to throw combinations, and granite chin will all be novel to Joshua, who has a perfect professional record after knocking over each of his carefully selected opponents.
Wladimir Klitschko and Carlos Takam, his two toughest opponents, were also dispatched, but they also highlighted potential vulnerabilities – Klitschko floored him and Joshua looked slow and sluggish against Takam before getting a friendly stoppage.
Moreover, upsets are not unheard of in heavyweight world title fights. No one gave Buster Douglas a chance against an undefeated Mike Tyson in Tokyo in 1990 (a 10th-round knockout), and many journalists covering the Rumble in the Jungle in 1974 – Muhammad Ali v the seemingly impregnable George Foreman in the country then known as Zaire – actually feared for Ali's physical health.
The result was an Ali knockout win in the eighth round.
Now it's Parker's chance to create his own history because if he wins he will be one of the biggest names in the sport.
