Sports UFC / MMA

According to Eddie Hearn the Joshua vs Wilder fight was signed and was going to be announced tonight. If it is true Parker through that plan out the window.
 
Wilder needs to get back into the ring and be active similar to how Parker was this year. He had the Fury fight in October 2021 and had another fight in October 2022 which only went 1 round. Then he had this fight in December 2023.

He really needed to fight more at his age.

Might pay to organise a fight against one of the losers from tonight.

Parker on the other hand looked in good shape which is usually an issue. I hope he keeps active, which should help keep him in shape.
 
According to Eddie Hearn the Joshua vs Wilder fight was signed and was going to be announced tonight. If it is true Parker through that plan out the window.
That's a massive risk for Joshua. The money might be good but if Wilder manages to stop him, the gravy train ends there. It could work for AJ, Wilder has toothpicks for legs, fk knows how he generates any power when his calves are smaller than his biceps. If it were to happen, I can see AJ doing another tune up for money and confidence first.

TBH, Parker just doesn't put bums on seats, he's never the A side in these big fights. Like it or not, no shit talk means less interest, it was Wilder selling that fight with his delusions and overconfidence.

I've had a chance to see the extended highlights and Parker's footwork was better. He wasn't plodding but wasn't dancing either which suited this fight. Wilder's trainer Malik Scott complemented Parkers footwork saying the he didn't have his chin over the centreline of his body the whole fight which must be what Wilder is waiting for. Makes sense since Parker didn't over extend himself after he landed big shots bar for the one big exchange where Wilder was rocked badly and Parker went to town until the bell rang. At the start of the next round, everyone expected Parker to try and take Wilder out but that's what Wilder and his team were hoping for, great coaching from Parkers team. The footwork from this fight won't work against the heavy juggernauts like Zhang and Joyce that don't back up like Wilder did.
 
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To me this was Parkers best performance.

Biggest name he's beaten. Even if Wilder technique wise is sloppy he's taken out everyone bar Fury so he's dangerous.

This was dominant from the opening bell to the closing bell. A few moments it looked like Wilder may have got something but Parker defended well.

This was also the fight to me he looked the best in terms of sticking to a plan. Besides the end of the 9th I think it was and the 12th round he had Wilder backing up all night. He also looked the best defensively in this fight. Even a lot of the fights against local guy when he was starting out he would get hit. Against Wilder if that happened it would be fight over. He was up for this and stuck to it all fight.

Hopefully this continues in his next few fights.
 
AJ and Wilder had already signed to fight according to AJ.
I saw Hearn said it was signed. Guessing it was done recently as I was browsing a forum and early December they were talking about it and Wilders' manager say it hadn't been done. I didn't read that all of the way through but I wouldn't be surprised if it was. The discussion was like the two main fights were like a semi final but everyone was assuming AJ and Wilder would win.

Wilder was also talking a lot about Joshua. One advantage of pro wrestling being able to fix the outcome and get the money fight. Quite often in boxing or MMA they get cute with fights to build to the fight they want and someone loses.
 
Joshua v Wilder is a money fight and it doesn't matter that he lost.

Parker fighting Zhang makes a lot of sense.

Fury vs Usyk will have a rematch clause no matter who wins.
 
Joshua v Wilder is a money fight and it doesn't matter that he lost.

Parker fighting Zhang makes a lot of sense.

Fury vs Usyk will have a rematch clause no matter who wins.

Joshua vs Wilder would end the career of the loser.

It makes no sense fighting Zhang who has nothing to offer, unless there was a ton of money in it. And it would be a terrible matchup for Parker if he hasn't fixed the issues he had Joyce.

Fury vs Usyk is a two fight deal. I hate rematch clauses, the champions have them for every competitive fight and it holds the divisions up for years. If you're a true champion, you get the job done in one fight.
 
Joshua vs Wilder would end the career of the loser.

It makes no sense fighting Zhang who has nothing to offer, unless there was a ton of money in it. And it would be a terrible matchup for Parker if he hasn't fixed the issues he had Joyce.

Fury vs Usyk is a two fight deal. I hate rematch clauses, the champions have them for every competitive fight and it holds the divisions up for years. If you're a true champion, you get the job done in one fight.
Who else does he fight then. You can't fight losers or journey men after beating Wilder.

Zhang crushed Joyce twice who beat Parker.
 
Who else does he fight then. You can't fight losers or journey men after beating Wilder.

Zhang crushed Joyce twice who beat Parker.
He could fight Joyce to avenge the loss and see if he's changed up enough to handle the juggernauts . Or Hrgovic who had a dubious win over Zhang last year but isn't amazing.
 
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He could fight Joyce to avenge the loss and see if he's changed up enough to handle the juggernauts . Or Hrgovic who had a dubious win over Zhang last year but isn't amazing.
Fighting Joyce gains you nothing and only puts him in a bad position. It's like Fury fighting Ngannou with the belts on the line.

If Parker had lost, then Joyce makes sense.
 
Fighting Joyce gains you nothing and only puts him in a bad position. It's like Fury fighting Ngannou with the belts on the line.

If Parker had lost, then Joyce makes sense.
The thing is, the whole division will be put on hold for a year while Fury and Usyk run their two fights and the road to the title doesn't go through Parker. Fk, Fury will probably retire a couple of more times between fights and string the whole thing out for two years. I HATE rematch clauses.

The best fights Parker can get are against the three men that beat him in Whyte, Joyce and Joshua. Joshua will see no point in fighting Parker now but the other two are bouncing back from bad losses and will fancy their chances against Parker. There's good money to be made and both fighters are on the slide so there's a chance at redemption too. I also like Parkers chances against Hrgovic.

Joyce is still a big name in the UK where all the money is. Fighting Zhang is very very dangerous for a shorter heavyweight. I think Parker can beat Joyce if he doesn't spend the night running into punches but I can't see him beating Zhang unfortunately. Styles make fights, Parkers feet will have to be a lot faster for that juggernaut.
 
Parker deservedly enters NZ boxings hall of fame.

He has beaten two world class heavy weights in Andy Ruiz and Wilder (although Ruiz was robbed somewhat) and gone the distance against the Monster that is AJ.

I truly believe Parker could have been a lot more without that Cancer Kevin Barry wasting his developmental years.
 
Parker deservedly enters NZ boxings hall of fame.

He has beaten two world class heavy weights in Andy Ruiz and Wilder (although Ruiz was robbed somewhat) and gone the distance against the Monster that is AJ.

I truly believe Parker could have been a lot more without that Cancer Kevin Barry wasting his developmental years.
Would u say he’s claimed bigger scalps than tua? Moorer and rahman were probably his biggest victims.
 
John Ruiz is another who he beat & went on to be champion. Ruiz also tied a trilogy vs Holyfield.
Tua is still slightyly ahead in my eyes.

His trainer is Andy Lee. Same guy as Tyson Fury
Andy Lee isn’t Fury’s main trainer but has helped train him. They are cousins and both come from travelling families.
 
John Ruiz is another who he beat & went on to be champion. Ruiz also tied a trilogy vs Holyfield.
Tua is still slightyly ahead in my eyes.
Parker has developed so much more after he separated from Barry. It’s a pity Tua didn’t do the same and then he would have had the chance to be more than the limited skilled boxer he was in terms of his offense. Barry only seems to take them so far but to truly reach their potential, they needed to move on from him. Unfortunately, Tua was too loyal to Barry and didn’t take the advice of others to move on for the sake of his career.
 
Tua's career was derailed with not being able to fight for an extended period due to the court case with Barry & Pugh.

Barry managed him to 2003. He fought Rahman in 2003 and then had 2 years without a fight. If you look at the quality of his opponents after the Lewis fight to the Rahman fight he was on the comeback trail. He could have got to another title shot. Then two years out and he has to start again.

Barry & Pugh may have started off with good intentions in getting everything set up as a business but it tied them to Tua. Sure Barry only trained Tua for a few fights but he was tied to him as a manager. A fighter should be free to choose to move on from a trainer or manager. The fact they needed a court case to sort out the assets and break the contract shows how tied up they were with Tua. That and also knowing the guy that was earning the money was wanting out.

Look at pictures of Barry before he met Tua. Thinning hair and an 80's moustache. No hair transplants. I remember seeing him driving through Ponsonby in a Mercedes. Even then I was thinking he's doing alright off Tua.

That two years off was a real set back. He was on the comeback trail but also the inactivity for a guy that would need to work on his conditioning.
 
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