Alexander Dimitrenko

By Scott Gilfoid: Alexander Dimitrenko tried his best against unbeaten #1 IBF, #1 WBO heavyweight contender Joseph Parker last Saturday night, but he ended up getting dropped four times in the fight in losing by a 3rd round knockout in New Zealand.

Dimitrenko, 34, is specifically upset with how the fight ended with him getting pushed down and then hit in the midsection while he was down on one knee. Dimitrenko says he was initially forced down on the canvas by the 24-year-old Parker, and then hit with a punch to his left rib cage. Dimitrenko tried to argue his case to referee Marlon Wright, but he was told that he didn’t see the punch being thrown while he was down on the canvas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngs4cxJDvNA

By Scott Gilfoid: Undefeated #1 IBF heavyweight contender Joseph Parker (21-0, 18 KOs) totally obliterated 6’7” Ukrainian Alexander Dimitrenko (38-3, 24 KOs) in stopping him in the 3rd round on Saturday night in a tune-up fight at the beautiful the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau, New Zealand.

Parker, 6’4”, knocked Dimitrenko down four times in the fight before the massacre was finally halted by referee Marlon Wright at 1:38 of the 3rd round. The ending was somewhat controversial though, as Parker hit Dimitrenko with a right hand body shot after forcing him down to the canvas while in a clinch.

Results from New Zealand

Joseph Parker KO 3 Alexander Dimitrenko
Junior Fa W 6 Alapati A’asa
Izu Ugonoh TKO 2 Gregory Tony
Brown Buttabean W 4 Clarence Tillman III
John Parker w 4 Ratu Sailosi Dawai

By Scott Gilfoid: Heavyweight talent Joseph Parker (20-0, 17 KOs) will be looking to get out of the way the last obstacle that stands in his way before fighting IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua when he faces German based Alexander Dimitrenko (38-2, 24 KOs) this Saturday night in a stay busy fight at the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau City, New Zealand.

There’s still a chance that Parker might wind up facing 33-year-old David Price in his next fight, but I tend to doubt it. Matchroom Sport promoter Eddie Hearn seems to want to put Joshua in with Parker on November 26. What could change this is if Hearn can get Wladimir Klitschko as Joshua’s opponent for the November 26 date.

For that to happen, one or more of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury’s WBA or WBO titles will need to be stripped from him and put up for grabs for Wladimir and Joshua to fight over for the November 26 date.

By Jim Dower: Heavyweights Alexander Dimitrenko and unbeaten Joseph Parker will be facing each other this Saturday night in what shapes up to be a mismatch at the Vodafone Events Centre, in Manukau City, New Zealand. Parker is taking a fight to get ready for his title shot against IBF champion Anthony Joshua.

Parker (20-0, 17 KOs) needed a tall heavyweight to get him ready for the 6’6” Joshua, and the 6’7” Dimitrenko (38-2, 24 KOs) is the perfect opponent to get him ready. Parker, 24, could wind up facing Joshua on November 26, as this is a fight that Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn is talking about wanting to make.

Hearn says that Parker is the most reasonable in agreeing to what’s offered, and he seems to be showing the most amount of interest in making the fight happen.

By Eric Baldwin: Unbeaten IBF heavyweight mandatory challenger Joseph Parker has more reasons to want to get inside the ring to defeat his next opponent Alexander Dimitrenko (38-2, 24 KOs) for their fight on October 1 at the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau, City, New Zealand.

The 6’7” Dimitrenko said that Parker was fortunate to defeat Carlos Takerm in their International Boxing Federation title eliminator last May. Parker won the fight by a 12 round decision and looked to be the better fighter of the two by far. Parker is now the mandatory challenger to IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (17-0, 17 KOs).

Dimitrenko, 34, is obviously trying to get into the mind of the 24-year-old Parker to get him upset so that he comes out slugging and gets caught with something. Dimitrenko isn’t a huge puncher, but he might not need to be if Parker loses his head and starts swinging for the fences in round one of the contest.

By Allan Fox: Unbeaten #1 IBF heavyweight contender Joseph Parker (20-0, 17 KOs) will be taking a stay busy fight next month against 34-year-old former contender Alexander Dimitrenko (38-2, 24 KOs) on October 1 in a scheduled 12 round fight at the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau City, New Zealand.

Parker is the mandatory challenger to International Boxing Federation heavyweight belt holder Anthony Joshua. The fight appears to be taking place in March of 2017. Parker wants to fight two more times at least before that fight takes place. First he has the fight against the Dimitrenko on Oct.1, and then a possible fight against British heavyweight David Price a month later on November 26 on the undercard of Joshua’s fight against Kubrat Pulev.

It’s certainly a risky thing for the 24-year-old Parker to fight the tall heavyweights Dimitrenko and Price in back to back fights before he faces Joshua, because if something goes wrong in either of those fights for him, then he won’t be getting his guaranteed title shot against the 6’6” Joshua.

By Scott Gilfoid: Unbeaten #1 IBF heavyweight contender Joseph Parker (20-0, 17 KOs) is expected to have a stay busy fight announced this week for September against former contender Alexander Dimtrenko (38-2, 24 KOs). Parker, 24, is staying active while he waits for an eventual world title shot against IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. It’s still not official yet that Parker will be fighting Dimitrenko next, but it’s expected to be announced this week. It’s a decent warm-up fight for Parker. He could do worse.

The Joshua-Parker fight could take place as early as November; although it’s more likely to take place in early 2017. Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn is keen on having him squeeze in another voluntary defense before he defends his IBF strap against the hard-hitting 6’4” Parker.

Parker looked good in obliterating Solomon Haumono by a 4th round knockout last week on July 21 in New Zealand. Parker showed good punch variety and excellent movement before lowering the boom on the 40-year-old Haumono in round four.