After beating former WBC world champion Deontay Wilder in a one-sided decision late last month, Parker has surged back to the top of the heavyweight division.
It puts him in a favourable position as he eyes up his next move, however speaking to NewstalkZB’s Jason Pine, the 31-year-old said there were three particular opponents he would like to square off against, and they all had one important thing in common.
“100 per cent I’d like to rematch Joshua, because he’s at the top of his game, I’d like to rematch Joe Joyce, who’s come off two defeats, and I’d like to rematch Dillian Whyte, but I’m not sure if he’s active at the moment. It would be nice to rematch those who have beaten me and to avenge those losses,” Parker said.
While Parker would like to get those back, only one of the three shapes up as a viable candidate should he return in the ring in March as he hopes.
Joshua has already confirmed his next fight following a knockout win over Otto Wallin on the same card as Parker beat Wilder. Joshua will fight former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia in March, with Ngannou getting another shot at one of the sport’s best after pushing Tyson Fury in his professional boxing debut late last year. Parker is hopeful of appearing on the card himself.
Joseph Parker lost a unanimous decision to Anthony Joshua in 2018. Photo / Photosport
“I was asking for the fight with Joshua, a rematch, after this win over Deontay Wilder, but I guess they have their own plans and the path that they want to take,” Parker said.
“I’ve seen that’s been announced, it’s massive news, and I guess because Francis Ngannou put on a great performance against Tyson [Fury], who didn’t put on the best performance himself, I think a lot of people are going to be interested to see what Joshua does with Francis Ngannou.”
Whyte also seems like an unlikely opponent as he has been inactive since November 2022. The 35-year-old was scheduled to fight Joshua midway through 2023, however, he tested positive for a banned substance and was pulled from the fight. In August, he released a statement saying he did not intentionally take a prohibited substance and would fight to prove his innocence. Since then, there has been no indication as to when he might return to action.
Joyce, the only man to knock Parker out in his 37-fight professional career, has also voiced his interest in returning to action in Saudi Arabia in March, and wouldn’t take too much convincing to take a rematch against Parker. Since his win over the Kiwi, Joyce has suffered back-to-back knockout losses to Zhilei Zhang and he would back himself to get back on track against Parker having already beaten up him.
Joe Joyce knocked Joseph Parker out when they fought in September 2022. Photo / Photosport
Zhang has also voiced an interest in fighting Parker, so there are some high-level options for Parker to consider.
“At the moment, we’re just working towards trying to find the next opportunity, the next challenge and the next fight.”
