Joseph Parker willing to offer Anthony Joshua a rematch if he beats him

The two heavyweights go head to head at the Principality Stadium on 31 March, with the WBO, WBA and IBF titles all on the line

Samuel Lovett
Thursday 08 March 2018 12:37 GMT
Comments
Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker meet in a unification bout
Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker meet in a unification bout (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Joseph Parker has said he’ll agree to a rematch with Anthony Joshua should he beat the Briton in Cardiff later this month.

The two heavyweights go head to head at the Principality Stadium on 31 March, with the WBO, WBA and IBF titles all on the line.

Parker is confident he’ll get the better of his rival and, assuming he wins, is happy to reschedule another bout with Joshua after the March fight.

“I think my plans for the year are I fight Joshua and I beat him and then a rematch so that’s my plans for the year,” Parker told New Zealand radio station The Rock.

He added: “Camp is going fantastic. I feel like I’m in great shape.

“I feel like I’m punching sharp, I’m moving well, making a lot of angles, movements, fitness is good, so everything is on track.”

It was also announced this week that Joshua will begin sparring with Carlos Takam, his most recent opponent, in preparation for March’s unification showdown.

Joshua was left impressed by Takam after being taken to the 10th round by the Cameroon-born boxer last year and has subsequently invited him into his camp.

Joseph Parker in action against Hughie Fury last year
Joseph Parker in action against Hughie Fury last year (Getty)

“AJ doesn’t want to spar someone who is not on a world level, AJ wants someone who is competitive,” Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, revealed.

“It’s a compliment that AJ has six or seven sparring partners but has said ‘I want Takam because I believe that’s a great spar, he can give me great work.”

Joshua, the WBA and IBF belt holder, heads into his fight with Parker as favourite, having won all 20 of his professional bouts since turning pro in 2013.

Parker is similarly undefeated, having most recently beaten Hughie Fury by majority decision in September of last year.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in