THE BIG TIME
N o matter what Joseph Parker espouses, no matter how exponentially the New Zealander has improved as a fighter, as a purposefully bigger physical specimen or purveyor of self-belief in the ring, no matter how mature the 33-year-old has become as a pugilist, he is still without a world title in his fascinating nine-fight, four-year journey with trainer Andy Lee. As we assess the athlete at this point in his career, Parker looks to have reached full maturity, with his team members replete in their view that his best two years in the glamour division lie ahead – and within that, an assault on becoming a two-time heavyweight titleholder after losing the WBO belt to Anthony Joshua seven years ago. There was a period after that in which Parker was dubbed the “nearly man,” the “man in the wilderness,” the “fighter in limbo” – until his now deeply fruitful relationship with Lee, an alliance within which both men admit to The Ring Magazine that they have both grown in self-belief, in confidence, in their respective roles.
in the heavyweight division at present, and arguably at a Wembley Stadium or Tottenham Hotspur Stadium-sized venue in London (unless Turki Alalshikh chooses Riyadh), is Usyk- Dubois for all the gold. Frank Warren, Dubois’ Hall of Fame promoter, told me the fight “could be made” around June 2025. The wheels just need greasing and the juggernaut laden with prizes can be rolled down the hill. The narrative is there: Dubois is improved since they met the first time; he ripped the fighting soul from Anthony Joshua in front of 90,000- plus baying fans at the massive London football stadium, and, indeed, there was plenty of controversy to mull over surrounding the low blow – or disputed low blow – in the Usyk-Dubois first encounter in Poland in August 2023. The debate raged. Warren raged. Referee Luis Pabon was vilified. I thought the blow was borderline. Bottom line: Dubois was stopped by Usyk, but he looked damn good for five rounds. Not that long ago, was it? And a lot has happened since
then in the land of the heavies. It has felt like time in the division has accelerated. Dubois has risen (similarly to Parker) and Usyk has rubber-stamped himself as the best of this era in two weight divisions with those two compelling chess matches against Tyson Fury in 2024. Usyk has had tough assignments since then; Dubois has come into his own. So the fight, regardless of a meritocracy involving Parker,
“I feel the best I’ve ever felt as a fighter. I feel I’ve matured as a fighter. I feel I understand what I’m doing.”
And this recent “limbo” has an altogether different hue. Indeed, in the world of boxing’s business dealings, in the milieu of “realpolitik,” Parker, right now, remains philosophical. And he needs to be. Philosophical, ticking over in quasi-camp no matter what, and ready. Ready whenever; ready wherever the call-up may come. Let’s be plain about this: In
Parker ’ s weapon of choice against Bakole was a booming overhand right.
spite of all his current fighting virtues – and they are many – it looks likely that Parker, denied a late-February bid at Daniel Dubois and the IBF title after the fight was canceled at the 11th hour due to Dubois’ recurring glandular illness, will be staying on hold and will not have the rescheduled bout with “Dynamite.” At press time, Dubois was being transposed into a rematch with Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight crown instead. If not wholly by design, but by opportunity. Realpolitik at its most hard-hitting. Who knows? This shift may just work out for Parker, the mandatory challenger to the WBO title currently held by Usyk. It would seem that Parker, arguably No. 3 in the world right now (if Tyson Fury counts as “retired” and is out of the listings), will meet the Usyk-Dubois winner. When I spoke to Usyk in Riyadh, ringside at Beterbiev-Bivol 2, dubbed “The Last Crescendo,” where he was to see Parker’s rapid work against late substitute Martin Bakole and the deft job Agit Kabayel did on Zhilei Zhang, the Ukrainian was adamant that he was “very feel” and keen to be back into camp and fighting again. One man on his lips: Dubois. So back to the realpolitik. Yes, the biggest fight to be made
makes sense in boxing/business terms. So where does that leave conquering hero Parker? Let’s just go back over the events in the fight week of The Last Crescendo, when a late illness and late-night dash across continents saved the day. Dubois fell ill, was examined by Dr. Neil Scott, the chief medical officer of the British Boxing Board of Control, and was extracted by officialdom from the event. Of that there is no dispute, and I have been over it both with Warren and Robert Smith, general secretary of the BBBofC, in detail. Warren, indeed, says that conspiracy theorists can “fuck off. Quote me on that. They are morons ... Daniel was ill. The doctor pulled him out.” The illness is indisputable. It came over Dubois on Wednesday night/Thursday morning, and medical chiefs made the decision. It is not the first time it has happened to Dubois, either, I am told. Regardless, after a rapid reshuffle, in stepped Bakole 48 hours before the fight, subsequently enduring a sojourn on two flights from Congo via Ethiopia. Weighing 310 pounds, Bakole was game, if not in shape, and even managed a few
media interviews on arrival very late in the day on Friday. Above and beyond. But one of the most avoided fighters in the division, ranked No. 7 by The Ring Magazine, went home well-rewarded financially. Bakole stepped into the ring for the penultimate fight in the wee hours of Sunday morning and was dispatched by a big right hand from Parker in Round 2. Let’s not undermine what either man did. But Parker got the job done. Clean. Mark my words: There was still huge interest in the contest. There were spikes on social media when the fight took place. The Parker team knew that Bakole carried dangers. Both deserve great respect for agreeing to the fight on late, late notice. A few days after the dust had settled
with his night’s work. “After the victory over Martin Bakole, I felt very happy. I felt very excited about the result and how we finished the fight. Look, he came in at the last minute, but I was very grateful to be on the card and still to be able to fight. But a lot of credit goes to Martin Bakole for stepping up, and a lot of credit goes to our team for taking the fight at late notice. It is always a risky fight with someone like Martin. But a great result from our side.” There is little doubt that Parker feels very mature now. Bigger, too. In pursuit of his best, he has undergone “an experiment,” according to Lee, who told me it has turned Parker into a bigger, stronger and harder-punching fighter. It is a fascinating process. When Parker defeated Zhang in
and Parker had returned to New Zealand, I caught up with him on the phone. What did he want to do next? Parker was pensive. “What do I want to do next? I would love to fight Daniel Dubois for the IBF championship of the world – or to fight Usyk for the other belts. That would be awesome or amazing if I had the opportunity to fight one of those guys. I’m not sure if it could happen or it will happen, but in an ideal world that would be golden for me. It’s mostly what I want.” Of course. It has to be the ultimate aim. But Parker was certainly delighted
62 RINGMAGAZINE.COM
RINGMAGAZINE.COM 63
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker