Former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker says that avenging his loss at the hands of Dillian Whyte remains top of his agenda following their dramatic encounter at the O2 Arena back in 2018.
The New Zealander touched down for the first and second time in his professional career when the pair met, but rallied to drop and badly hurt Whyte in the final session.
Whyte survived to claim a unanimous decision victory, but Parker told Matchroom Boxing’s ‘The Rounds’ that he still hopes to cross paths with the Londoner down the line.
“It was a blessing to be heavyweight champion of the world at 24 years old and I was able to take part in a unification bout,” said Parker (27-2, 21 KOs). “I feel like I have way more drive and motivation now, though. I’m keeping in shape.
“Before, I liked to enjoy myself and not worry about training. Now, when camp starts, it’s not about losing weight. It’s about working on skills and technique. The heavyweight division is on fire and to be a part of it is awesome.
“At the moment, it’d be hard to travel to the US or the UK. We’ll have to fight locally and look for the best heavyweight available. At some point, I’d still love to fight Dereck Chisora – that’s still a possibility.
“Also, I’d love to face Dillian Whyte again. The first fight that we had was great. He won that, but I still believe that I could beat him in a rematch. Dillian would be first on the list.”