Joseph Parker’s reputation as a knockout artist has dwindled in recent fights.
Having stopped 18 of his first 21 opponents, each of Parker’s last three fights has gone to the judges’ scorecards.
It remains a possibility, albeit a less likely one than it might have been a few weeks ago, that Parker will get a unification match-up with Anthony Joshua next.
Disagreements about the purse split have seen the negotiating process stall considerably, with Parker’s camp visibly outraged by the figure offered by Matchroom chief Eddie Hearn.
.@anthonyfjoshua thanks for offering me less than half of what you paid Martin, to unify! Do you really want to fight? Make a serious offer #NeverBeenDropped @d_higgins_duco @EddieHearn
— Joseph Parker (@joeboxerparker) November 15, 2017
The WBO heavyweight champion felt insulted after receiving an offer which reportedly paled in comparison to the one that Charles Martin got for his fight with ‘AJ’ last year.
But Hearn has rejected those claims and urged Parker’s camp to begin negotiating seriously if they want to make the fight.
“I’m not sure what Parker was told, but his tweet was incorrect,” Hearn told Sky Sports. “They haven’t even replied to my offer, other than via tweets. We are not interested in the he said, she said.
“If they want to make the fight, then they should come off social media and pick up the phone.”
While Joshua looks forward to a unification bout against either Parker or WBC heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury will likely be forced to go through a couple of tune-up fights before the much-discussed all-British showdown can come to fruition but he’s eager to make a bit of money in the meantime by offering any fans an intriguing wager.
If Anthony Joshua fights Joseph Parker I will bet anybody in the world £5000 cash the parker will ko him?
— TYSON FURY (@Tyson_Fury) November 15, 2017
Joshua would almost certainly be the bookmakers’ favourite against Parker but Fury doesn’t even see ‘AJ’ lasting the distance against the Kiwi.
Parker’s promoter David Higgins has previously insisted that he wouldn’t be willing to budge on a 60/40 split in favour of Joshua but he has since admitted that a little bit of wiggle room could possibly be agreed upon. However, he maintains that Hearn is nowhere near the minimum acceptable figure at present.
“It’s got to improve a lot,” Higgins said. “You never say never, but not a lot [less]. We should work together.
“We want a more collaborative, open book approach, rather than pay us off with a low fixed fee and we don’t know what the revenues are.
“The world wants to see it, we want it, but we won’t accept it for what we think is an unfair deal.
“His [Parker’s] frame of mind, we are very aligned, our camp. He wants to fight Joshua, but he knows the deal is not what it should be.
“Joseph Parker’s message to Anthony Joshua is: ‘I want to fight you. I think I’ll win, but I want a fair portion of the pie. It’s a big pie and let’s share it fairly’.”
