By Allan Fox: The big hitting New Zealand knockout artist Joseph Parker (12-0, 10 KOs) will be sparring with IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko in Austria to get him ready for his next fight. The sparring will take place in April, according to Nzcity.
Wladimir doesn’t have an opponent signed yet, but he’s in negotiations with #2 WBA, #3 WBC Bryant Jennings. The 22-year-old Parker is a much different type of heavyweight than the 6’3” Jennings, starting with the 6’4” Parker’s bigger size.
He’s bigger and a much harder puncher than Jennings. That doesn’t mean that Parker is a better heavyweight than Jennings, because it’s quite possible that Jennings would out-box him if the two of them were to face each other.
Parker has looked flawed against the mostly weak opposition he’s been in with. His power is first rate, but his defense and chin appear to be flaws that could limit how far he can go unless they improve in the future. The thing that Parker has going for him is his youth.
At 22, he theoretically can improve considerably and become a very good heavyweight. But if he doesn’t get much better than he is now, then it’s not likely that he’ll go far in the heavyweight division.
Parker is coming off of a 4th round knockout win over Irineu Beato Costa Junior last December. Before that, Parker was extended 10 rounds in beating 42-year-old journeyman Sherman Williams last October. It was disappointing that Parker couldn’t take Williams out, because this is a guy that he should have been able to knockout if he was the real deal and ready to face better opposition.
The difference between Parker and someone like Deontay Wilder is that Wilder scores his knockouts much earlier in his fights than Parker, and he’s a better finisher. Deontay takes less punishment as well at least thus far.
Wladimir is coming off of a 5th round stoppage win over Kubrat Pulev last November.
Wladimir’s next fight is scheduled for April 25th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. This fight is part of a three-fight deal that the 38-year-old fighter recently signed with HBO. The Jennings fight doesn’t promise to be a great one for Wladimir. However, Tyson Fury, Wladimir’s WBO mandatory, will likely be next up for him in 2015.
If there’s time left in the year it’s possible that Wladimir could face the winner of the Wilder vs. Bermane Stiverne fight for the WBC heavyweight title.
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