Former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker appears to be closing in on an all-Kiwi grudge match with Junior Fa, but he is already angling for a fight with Alexander Povetkin or former foe Dillian Whyte.
Parker called Whyte, who narrowly outpointed him in July 2018, shortly after the Londoner’s shock KO defeat to Povetkin nine days ago to check his health before asking their mutual promoter Eddie Hearn to get him Russian next.
“I watched the fight – I gave Dillian a call straight after and he said he was okay,” Parker (27-2, 21 KOs) told The AM Show. “He realises that, in heavyweight boxing, one punch can change everything and that’s certainly what happened.
“I video-called Eddie [Hearn] after the fight and asked him to give me Povetkin – or even Whyte. He told me to smash Junior Fa first and then he would look at one of those two for me.
“I want to fight everyone in the top five, but I need to climb the ladder to get back to the top,” he continued. “I want to be champion of the world – a two-time world champion and a unified world champion. I’ve given myself five years and then I am out.”
Parker seems likely to meet Fa (19-0, 10 KOs) first with discussions continuing regarding a clash in New Zealand in December. They met previously in the amateurs splitting four fights though Parker has campaigned at a significantly higher level as a pro.
“Hopefully we can make a deal. I think it will happen – we have given them what they’ve asked for,” said Parker. “If they don’t want to sign, then we are prepared to walk away and fight someone else who is keen to fight – we are talking about a lot of money. I am ready to go. I have been training twice a day. I just want to get back in the ring and give someone a beating.
“[Co-promoter] David [Higgins] has tried his best to get top opponents. People say the quality of my last two opponents has been poor, but we have been trying to fight Top 10 guys since my loss to Dillian Whyte – who I have been trying to get a rematch with. It is hard, because those top guys see me as high risk with low reward, so they would rather take fights that are low risk.”