By Jake Tiernan: Michael Hunter revealed today that he’d got a fight in the works against former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker in the UK, and he’s hoping to lock it in soon.
Parker (31-3, 21 KOs) is trying to get more wins under his belt to get in position for a world title shot after his recent eleventh round knockout loss to Joe Joyce in a battle for the WBO interim heavyweight title in Manchester.
In Parker’s last fight, he struggled to defeat former British cruiserweight Jack Massey by a 10 round unanimous decision last month on January 21st in Manchester, England.
Parker, 31, started fast in the first four rounds, looking impressive in taking the fight to the weaker, smaller Massey, but in the second half of the contest, he gassed badly and was fought to a near standstill.
The judges scored 96-93, 97-92, and 97-93. Arguably the best score of the three was 96-93 because Parker appeared to edge it barely.
Hunter hoping to lock in Parker fight
“We’re on the way of getting something, locking in something real soon, hopefully, Joseph Parker,” said Michael Hunter to Behind The Gloves.
Fighting the 34-year-old Hunter won’t do much for Parker in terms of getting him pushed up the rankings because Michael is no longer a contender at this stage of his ten-year professional career.
Hunter hasn’t won a fight in two years since stopping 40-year-old Mike Wilson in 2021. In Hunter’s last fight, he was held to a 10 round draw against journeyman Jerrry Forrest in December 2021.
It’s unclear why Hunter chose to take 2022 off, but perhaps it’s a good thing because he may have needed a break after his disappointing performance against
Parker should focus on fighting contenders if he wants to get another title shot before he ages out because he’s going in the wrong direction if he faces Hunter next.
You can excuse Parker for fighting Massey because he was coming off a bad beating at the hands of ‘The Juggernaut’ Joe Joyce last September, but there’s no reason he should take another soft opponent in Hunter.
Parker’s career has been on a downward slide since his consecutive losses to Dillian Whyte and Anthony Joshua in 2018. After that defeat, Parker burned through three years of his career fighting journeymen opposition before finally stepping up in 2022 against Joyce.
Two of Parker’s fights during these three years were against Derek Chisora, and he didn’t look great. Those fights against Chisora highlighted Parker’s lack of a killer instinct.
