Boxing champion Evander "The Real Deal" Holyfield has dubbed Joseph Parker "The New Deal" following his win against Kali Meehan last night.
Prior to the fight, the four-time heavyweight champion took to Twitter to offer his support to the young boxer, instructing him to "Fight like you the "New Deal"".
The tweet was illustrated with a picture of Holyfield posing in a Team Parker t-shirt.
Parker replied to thank the boxing legend, writing "EH thanks for the support. Big fan of yours and look forward to seeing you again soon. "Real Deal" #NewDeal".
It seems the heavyweight support was well received - Parker went on to beat the highly experienced Meehan with a technical knock-out after three rounds on Thursday night.
And Holyfield was quick to congratulate him, tweeting "Congratulations Joseph Parker! You're the "New Deal" !"
He also said he hoped to be at Parker's next fight.
- nzherald.co.nz