The heavyweight division is amazing right now.
With the possibility of the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis if Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder comes to fruition and Tyson Fury’s imminent return to the ring, we’re in for some history-making fights among the big boys in the coming years.
But while world titles are what define legacies, fight fans also love a good tear-up and that’s what we should get in Dillian Whyte’s next outing as ‘The Body Snatcher’ has been matched up with former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker in the main event of a July 28 card at London’s O2 Arena.
The sole defeat on both men’s professional records has come at the hands of Joshua and there’s no denying the fact that both Whyte and Parker are eager to avenge their losses to ‘AJ’.
“There’s going to be blood, pain and a knockout. I’m bang up for this,” said Whyte, who recently knocked out Lucas Browne in brutal style.
He left the arena on a stretcher after a brutal sixth round KO https://t.co/QFJYiFxHhx
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) March 25, 2018
“He’s a good fighter but he didn’t show much courage against Joshua, hopefully he’ll be a bit more adventurous and come to have a fight against me.
“I like challenges and I rise to them, this is a big fight and I’ll be training very hard as always. There’s a massive incentive there to try and stop him.
“We’re back at The O2, it’s always a great atmosphere inside the arena and I’ll be looking to get a similar result to my last fight there.”
The announcement from Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn comes as something of a surprise as many expected Whyte to fight Luis Ortiz next, while Parker had been linked with bouts against either Russian Alexander Ustinov or American Bryant Jennings.
But Whyte vs. Parker definitely makes a lot of sense considering the fact that they both have history with Joshua so can move a step closer to a rematch with a victory next month, not to mention that British fans are well aware of the Kiwi due to the build-up to his unification clash with ‘AJ’ in Cardiff in March.
“We’ve both been in with ‘AJ’. One of us ended the fight on our feet, the other didn’t. That pretty much speaks for itself,” said Parker.
WHYTE-PARKER ON BOX-OFFICE! @DillianWhyte will face @JoeBoxerParker at The O2 on July 28, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
DETAILS HERE: https://t.co/873dxlWzMt pic.twitter.com/TAil1pcPm7
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) June 7, 2018
“I’m really looking forward to fighting Dillian. He’s got a big mouth and says some funny things – and he’s also highly entertaining in the ring. It’ll be an incredible fight. There’s no doubt about that.
“I’m really happy with how things have things have worked out. I know it took a lot of hard work from my team to get this over the line.”
