Former WBO heavyweight champion, Joseph Parker, has revealed he wants a rematch with Joe Joyce and believes he can make it even more exciting than their first fight.
‘The Juggernaut’ knocked Parker out in the eleventh round of their fight back in September, in what was one of the best fights of 2022. The win for Joyce has skyrocketed him into a position where he will expect a world title shot this year, as the WBO interim champion and the 37-year-old has fast-become a fan-favourite in the U.K.
Even WBC champion Tyson Fury has admitted that Joyce represents the most difficult fight in the division and the toughest challenger to his crown.
Despite the recent praise that Joyce has received, Parker thinks that a rematch between the pair would be even more exciting and hopes that he will cross paths with the Brit once more.
Speaking to Boxing Social he said:
“I watched it [back] like this [wincing]. When I watched it again, I was like ‘ooft’, only watched it once, on the day of the fight, my best effort probably wasn’t good enough for that day. But, if we have a rematch, if I take care of business against Jack Massey, it will be a lot more of an exciting fight. I can make it a lot more exciting.”
“Joe Joyce is a beast and a tough man, he puts on a lot of pressure and he’s got to be fighting for a world title soon. He is a very nice man and I’m happy for him, which you don’t really say much as a fighter. If everything goes well, and we cross paths again, I think we can make it a lot more exciting.”
Joyce seems focussed on a path to a world title and is set to face Chinese southpaw Zhilei Zhang at the 02 Arena in London on April 15th. If Parker can string some wins together, we could see the rematch take place with world honours up for grabs. However, Parker first must overcome Jack Massey, who he fights tonight on the Eubank-Smith undercard.
The New-Zealander goes into the fight as a huge favourite, with Massey fighting in the heavyweight division for the first time in his career.