By Allan Fox: WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker (24-0, 18 KOs) says he’s in great shape and ready to beat IBF/WBA champion Anthony Joshua (20-0, 20 KOs) on Saturday night and take his 2 titles back to New Zealand when he departs from Cardiff, Wales.
(Photo credit: Esther Lin/SHOWTIME)
In listening to both fighters talk, it’s difficult to know which of them will emerge victorious on Saturday night in their fight at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. Parker and Joshua are saying they’re going to knock each other out, and take the belts home with them. Joshua is even talking about betting that he’s going to win. That’s taking it a step beyond what most fighters take it when they’re hyping their fights, but the 28-year-old Joshua is drunk on success from his 20 wins as a pro and his 2012 Olympic gold medal.
If not for Parker winning the World Boxing Organization heavyweight title in December 2016, he probably wouldn’t be getting a fight against Joshua at all. Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has been critical of Parker’s last three fights against Hughie Fury, Razvan Cojanu and Andy Ruiz Jr. Hearn thinks Parker’s stock has dropped in those fights, and he could be right.
Parker reportedly had elbow injuries that hurt his speed and punching power. Both elbows were operated recently, and he’s supposedly 100 percent. We’ll never know for sure whether Parker is really 100 percent for this fight. Parker didn’t complain of injuries going into his last three fights despite him having some problems.
”It’s great to be here, we’ve had a great build-up and a great camp. I can’t wait to put on a great display on March 31,” Parker said to skysports.com. ”I’m confident, sharp, and my movement is better than ever. I’m taking those belts back to New Zealand. Joshua is a great champion and we respect him and what he’s achieved. We love challenges. It’s whoever is going to put on the best display on fight night,” Parker said.
Parker, 26, has a slight edge in youth and hand speed over Joshua. Parker has good punching power, but he lacks the one-punch power that we’ve seen from Joshua and WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder. Parker’s defensive skills are lacking. He gets hit easily with left hooks, and he seems to have no ability to get out of the way of those shots. Parker tends to back straight up when under attack, and this causes him to get hit with right hands from his opponents.
Parker’s punch resistance is what bails him out. If not for his good chin, he would have already lost to guys like Andy Ruiz Jr. and Carlos Takam. I rate Parker’s chin as much better than Joshua and Wilder. Parker is going to need to be able to take a lot of Joshua’s heavy shots on Saturday for him to have a chance of winning this fight.
”It’s my time, I’m young, sharp and am determined to win. I’m here to be part of history, doing it for my team, family and country,” Parker said.
Joshua isn’t an old timer himself, so it’s not like Parker can say that AJ had his time, and he’s now ready to be dethroned based on age. Joshua is only 28. If Parker wins this fight, he won’t have done it due to him being much younger than Joshua. Parker wins this fight if he can out-slug Joshua and stay in the pocket long enough to wear him down.
Parker isn’t going to beat Joshua boxing him the way he did against Carlos Takam and Ruiz Jr. That’s not going to work. Parker will be the visitor on Saturday in fighting Joshua in Wales. That means it could prove to be difficult for Parker to win a decision if it goes to the cards. Joshua is the A-side fighter, and he has more punching power and the more aggressive fighting style. Parker’s close decision wins over Ruiz and Takam took place in his home country of New Zealand. If Parker is unable to dominate Joshua, then he’s likely going to lose. Parker is either got to give Joshua such a clear beating that the judges can’t help but to give him the win or he’s got to knock him out. Knocking Joshua out is Parker’s best bet.
”I’m going to beat AJ, I haven’t decided how I will win. These belts are mine,” Parker said.
Parker not knowing how he’s going to win is a problem. That means he’s not realized yet that he’s got to wear Joshua down and stop him to win. Wladimir Klitschko made the mistake of trying to beat Joshua by a decision, and it led to him losing the fight by a knockout in the 11th. Parker can possibly win some rounds if he gets Joshua tired enough to where he gasses out like he did against Klitschko and Dillian Whyte. Joshua isn’t the type of fighter that recovers quickly.
It takes him around 3 rounds of continuous rest for him to come back. Joshua was lucky in the Whyte and Klitschko fights that those fighters didn’t start putting huge pressure on him and forcing him to fight after he was tired, because they probably would have knocked him out. Joshua wasn’t just tired against Wladimir and Whyte. He was exhausted and ready to be taken. Those guys just couldn’t put the hammer down to finish off Joshua. Good heavyweights from the past like Lennox Lewis, Larry Holmes, Mike Tyson and Razor Ruddock would have likely stopped Joshua if they had him tired. Even guys like Corrie Sanders would have likely finished Joshua. Parker needs to learn from the mistakes that Whyte and Wladimir made against Joshua by making sure he goes for a knockout if he gets him hurt.
”If I’ve got £20 in my pocket, I believe Anthony Joshua knocks Joseph Parker out for sure,” Joshua said in speaking in the third person about Saturday’s fight.
Joshua has knocked everyone out he’s faced, so why not make another knockout prediction? Joshua has decent stamina as long as he’s allowed to fight slowly the way Wladimir was letting him do after he got tired in the 6th. If Parker has done his homework properly, he’ll make sure he sets a fast pace and doesn’t allow Joshua to rest for a second.
