By Craig Daly: In a long overdue fight, former heavyweight champion Joseph Parker and unbeaten 2016 Olympic silver medalist Joe Joyce have agreed to a deal for a fight in England on BT Sport Box Office on September 24th. The fight will be announced on Thursday at a press conference.
Mike Coppinger is the first on the news of the Parker vs. Joyce fight agreed on. It’s a great fight but hardly pay-per-view worthy. If it were on regular BT Sport, it would do great numbers, but putting it on PPV is likely a step too far and will cause fans to shun it.
Parker-Joyce was obviously a tricky fight to make, given that the 30-year-old former WBO champion Parker fights on Sky and is inked with Boxxer. In contrast, Joyce fights on BT Sport and has Frank Warren as his promoter.
Parker (30-2, 21 and Joyce had expected to fight last April, but they failed to reach a deal. The #2 WBO, #3 WBC Parker is coming off a one-sided 12-round unanimous decision over journeyman Derek Chisora last December at the AO Arena in the UK. This was a huge improvement for Parker, considering the first fight with Chisora.
“BT Sport Box Office will televise the fight in the U.K., sources said,” said Coppinger to ESPN.
Joyce (14-0, 13 KOs) has looked amazing lately, defeating these solid fighters by knockout:
- Christian Hammer
- Carlos Takam
- Daniel Dubois
- Michael Wallisch
Despite a lack of hand speed, ‘The Juggernaut,’ #1 WBO, #2 WBC, #5 IBF, has proven to be a cut above the other heavyweights in the division.
One could go so far as to say that Joyce is the top heavyweight contender in the division, and should be viewed as the favorite against Parker.
The New Zealander Parker is a solid fighter, but he’s lacked the courage to fight in a brave manner needed in his hardest fights of his career against Anthony Joshua, Andy Ruiz Jr and Dillian Whyte.
Even against Chisora, Parker seemed to lack the courge to perform bravely in the way he needed to win a conclusive decision in their first fight in May 2021.
Indeed, many boxing fans believed that Parker’s 12 round split decision win over Chisora was controversial.
