Before anybody starts panicking, it’s safe to say that Anthony Joshua versus Joseph Parker, in reality, is happening. But should an injury or some other freak incident occur and cancel this massive unification bout between the WBA Super, IBF & IBO and WBO World heavyweight champions, there is an alternative.
According to Stuff.co.nz, Parker’s promoter David Higgins of Duco Events will fly to the U.K in near future to finalise the deal with Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn.
“Negotiations are tough, but, in terms of the love of the sport, I won’t let that get in the way from achieving my goal because legacy is important to me and I think we’re achieving something that…To hold all five belts has never been done before, so I won’t let negotiations get in the way of securing my legacy and what I could achieve in the sport.
“I think we’re 95 per of the way there with completing with Joseph Parker,” said Joshua himself when being a guest on BBC Five Live’s Sports Week show.
But the WBA has ordered a mandatory challenger for Joshua’s WBA Super World heavyweight championship belt.
Russian boxer Alexander Povetkin is the number one ranked challenger in the WBA’s rankings. The former WBA World heavyweight champion fought fellow heavyweight Christian Hammer in December and defeated the Romanian via unanimous decision in Russia.
With the win, Povetkin became the mandatory challenger for Joshua’s WBA belt.
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The Russian has a considerable history of using performance-enhancing drugs. He was handed a lifetime ban by the WBC after failing a drug test before his fight against Deontay Wilder. However, The ban has since been lifted.
Joshua has expressed a desire to hold all major belts in the heavyweight division and this also includes defending them.
“There’s only two left, I have three. There’s five on the table and I have three of them, I want to fight for the fourth one, the WBO heavyweight championship of the world,” told Joshua.
According to multiple reports, the preferred and yet to be announced date for the fight is looking to be March 31st.
Ring Magazine recently confirmed that according to their sources the fight is happening on the aforementioned date. The same also reported by New Zealand’s Stuff.co.nz.
Joshua also revealed in his interview that March is the preferred month and it will most likely happen in the UK.
“End of March, I would say.
“It has to be (in this country), the British support, what we’re achieving here is phenomenal.
“And I always remember when I was watching boxing, it was always about America, America, America and even being a world champion you have to fight around the world, but it’s nice to own the market here. We own the market and we’re not rushing anywhere, let the British fans stay on home soil for a bit, let other people travel,” told Joshua.
READ MORE:
Anthony Joshua Ranks His Upcoming Three Potential Opponents
Joshua-Parker Update: March 31st and Cardiff Preferred For The Bout