The long-awaited Joseph Parker-Junior Fa heavyweight bout is confirmed for December 11 at Spark Arena in Auckland.
The fight has been mooted for some time, and resurfaced with sporadic mentions throughout the Covid-hit year to tease sports fans.
The event, presented by Stonewood Homes, will be globally televised and pitNew Zealand's top heavyweights against each other in one of the country's biggest fights in history.
The tussle will present Parker with a golden opportunity to boost his hopes of returning to the heights of heavyweight boxing; a place he fell from quickly following consecutive losses to Brits Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte in 2018.
For Fa, this will be his biggest career fight to date, and could set him on course for a shot at a title fight with some of the world's best. He has the expertise of one of boxing's stars to bank off as well – Deontay Wilder, a former WBC Champion, is his sparring partner.
Fa's WBO Oriental Interim Heavyweight belt will go on the line against Parker.
Joseph Parker (left) and Junior Fa face off during a boxing press conference confirming their heavyweight fight. Photo / Photosport
Parker's manager and Duco Events founder David Higgins says it's great to get the fight confirmed during a pandemic.
"Getting this fight over the line is absolutely huge, and we are grateful to our partners Matchroom for their backing to make this happen," he says. "With both boxers inside the WBO top 10 world rankings and in their prime, this is undeniably New Zealand's fight of the century."
Lou DiBella, President of Fa's promoter DiBella Entertainment, says it presents a great opportunity for Fa.
"I've always believed that Junior Fa had the ability to become a world champion and, on December 11, he'll have the opportunity to prove that against a former heavyweight champion and amateur rival, in countryman Joseph Parker."
New Zealand Media and Entertainment (NZME), the owner and operator of the New Zealand Herald, has joined forces with Duco Events and Spark Sport in a three-way partnership to help deliver the event.
Parker joins Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking this morning to discuss all there is to know.
