By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing
Former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker could get the opportunity to challenge for the WBO title against mandatory contender Oleksandr Usyk now with WBA, IBF, WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua obligated to defend the championship against the IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev. Parker’s promoter David Higgins told Sky Sports.”There’s talk that Joshua might have to vacate one of the sanctioning bodies. If he vacates the WBO, then suddenly you’ve got Usyk mandatory and I think the next available ranked boxer is Joseph Parker.
“You could end up with a situation where you have Usyk fight Parker for the vacant title, which funnily enough is how Joseph became world champion. He fought [Andy] Ruiz for the vacant title. History repeats. Usyk is a very tough fight. He’s a southpaw, he would dissect Anthony Joshua.”
Interesting… Usyk jumps right into heavyweight and gets a crack at a title while other heavyweight stand in line…The politics in boxing run deep……
Scooby, any Undisputed Champion wanting to move up should be given their shot right away if they want. Usyk actually won ALL the titles too. Not one of the current crop of Heavyweights had a better resume when it comes to fighting true contenders. I continue to wonder how some people were alright with Mikey Garcia moving up, but continue to complain about Usyk.
I believe the same. Usyk is the guy with the best pedigree from amateur to professional, and perhaps the one that has the formula to defeats all the top heavyweights, Fury, Wilder, Joshua, Ruiz and Parker included. If the fight with Parker can happen, I expect a 120-108 veredict in favor of Usyk
Scott you’re totally right. The guy wiped out an entire division?!?! If you do that, you absolutely deserve a world ranking in the next division. If not, what’s the point of moving up at all? You’re supposed to get no credit for all the past work you’ve done especially when you’ve won a gold medal and all 4 belts.
Parker vs Usyk is fine, but I’d prefer to see Usyk vs AJ
Usyk gd but I think aj will win. Uzyk in my opinion is like rampage Jackson going to fight fedor. Etc moving up in hw div. But hey well see. Parker n usyk. I’m undisided points 4 either
That’s pretty much how it works, why would make a superior fighter with several titles wade through the muck and physical damage of lesser competition. The best should fight the best.
yeah funny sport innit. I don’t mind the ‘undisputed moving up’ rule though. Personally, I think Chisora Usyk is a much better fight. Parker will try to box and has no chance. Chisora will at least use the advantages of being a natural heavyweight. Also, Parker is doing mysteriously well in the rankings considering he lost to Whyte.
Under the WBO rules, a champion moving up in weight can challenge another champion for their WBO title. Usyk was Undisputed World Cruiserweight Champion and was awarded a high ranking. Usyk getting a heavyweight title shot wouldn’t be an issue if today’s champions were more active.
No it’s fair because he was the undisputed light Heavyweight champion not so long ago and he’s going to beat Parker if he has the opportunity.. He’s Simply too good !
Nobody would really consider the winner of this to be the real champion.
Politics aside, looks like a good match-up
Parker will win and ruin all plans for Uysk
Pretty good fight. But remember Parker is tough, but his only top level win was a very close decision against an unfit Andy Ruiz who of course came in heavy and not in the best of shape (as usual)
bang on, parker lost to Hughie fury as well politics stink
You don’t know boxing if you say Fury beat Parker. Fury runs, throws one punch and feels he deserves to win a round. Povetkin really shut Fury up well.
This is why it’s extremely difficult to get a unified champion these bogus belts don’t want a unified champion its not in their best interest just would benefit the fans and make some clarity in the divisions thats all. Dump the belts let the best fight the best determined by the fans..
Sanctioning bodies want Money. And often.
Great statement there should be one belt in all DIVISIONS WHY?VERY SIMPLE ONE CHAMPION MEANS MORE RESPECT MEANS MORE VIEWS ON PAY PER VIEW AND MOST IMPORTANTLY MORE EXPOSURE .TO THE SPORT OF BOXING.
we all know joe louis ,ONE CHAMPION.YOU GOVERNING BODIES STOP YOUR CRAP WE NEED TO GO BACK TO THE OLD WAYS
Parker dodged chisora with spider bite don’t deserve a shot at WT, give it chisora a much more worthy warrior right now.
Usyk needs to take one fight at a time. Joshua will try to keep these titles so nothing is final yet. I doubt Usyk beats Joshua. If he does it’ll be because he jumps in and out and runs most of the fight. Joshua still hammers hard and I don’t think Usyk can take it.
“… because he jumps in and out and runs most of the fight.”
You’re describing Joshua!
He only did that in one fight against a guy who can’t move and who KO’d him. He has been a never hold and trade type of guy before that fight.
That’s called boxing. Just like Ali and Mayweather did it. Boxing is more than knock outs..
I’m not knocking it. I’m just saying he can’t trade at all or I think he’ll get KO’d. I’m also saying Usyk doesn’t normally run so he’ll have to adjust for that fight.
Well really the fight that should have happened was Joshua vs Wilder. They both won there last fights at the same time. this fight would have sold out Cardiff I am sure. i can’t help but remember when Wladimir Klitishcho, in his last really good win just flattened Pulev. Has Pulev gotten better, I think not, he has just gotten older. Pulev’s best win did I feel come after, against Chisora, but it was a split decision. If Usyk did not want to fight Joshua just now, okey get Pulev than. But what fight do you think the fans want to see? though I question how good really Usyk is, his fight with Bellow was a pretty close fair until the knock out. Against Maris Bredis it was a majority decision, though from watching the fight I thought Usyk won 8 of the 12 rounds, not 7 of the twelve the other two judges had.
this fight looks really interesting i favour parker in this match up only beacause he has to prove to the world hes not done yet…..hes has all the tools for the job but something is missing….may be more aggressive in the ring….
Yes, matters which Parker steps into the ring hey. He has all the tools, just that lack of aggressiveness that is so frustrating to watch. Parker needs a new trainer as well.
What will Parker have to do to win this fight? I’m guessing he has to smother Usyk and look to finish him late?
I know Parker like to box, but cannot see him winning this fight without his size and strength.
Parker is an easy fight for Ukrainian in my opinion. Parker is the same size but much slower. I think Usyk win a wide unanimous decision if this fight comes off.
Parker in 2!.
Usyk is still unproven as a heavyweight and unworthy of a title shot. For those maintaining that he’s worthy of a title shot because he unified the cruiserweight belts, remember Evander Holyfield’s jump to heavyweight? He also unified at cruiser, yet he had to fight several contenders over a 2-year period before he got a crack at the heavyweight crown.
I believe Holyfield chose to work his way in. If he wanted the shot, then he’d have gotten it. Usyk tested the waters once, so if he wants the shot, then he’s worthy. Do you honestly think Pulev is more deserving?
The only guy that’s been screwed is Whyte, especially, if you believe he didn’t cheat. They did quietly exonerate him before his last outing.
Pulev does not deserve a shot at all
WTF! Parker? BS!
I can’t see how Usyk isn’t at least a 5 to 1 favorite here.
Imagine if Ruiz had kept the title…Canelo might have thought about fighing him for the title.