Joseph Parker and Derek Chisora were signed to square off in 2019, but the fight didn’t come off, with a spider bite to Parker causing a cancellation.
The two sides have mentioned now again the possibility of revisiting the idea ever since, and it’s come up again.
Parker (27-2, 21 KO) is set to face domestic rival Junior Fa on Feb. 27 in New Zealand, which will stream live on DAZN, and that’s a big fight for him, something that will be a major event for boxing in the country. There’s a lot of pride on the line there, and obviously nobody wants to lose if they want a bigger international bout next.
But Chisora (32-10, 23 KO) is still talking about doing a fight with Parker, and Parker’s manager David Higgins tells Sky Sports that is could definitely be in play for early summer:
“We’d be keen to get that fight up and going in New Zealand or the United Kingdom, in the beginning of June would be feasible I’d think. … In the past, it was an option that Matchroom were favourable about, so if Chisora and Haye are serious, start some discussions and obviously Joseph has to do the business in February, which is all he’s focused on. But there is no harm in us as management talking about the future now.”
And Chisora manager David Haye said they’re up for it, too:
“If Parker and his team are serious about making this fight again, we will happily look to reschedule. Derek is in camp and eager to get back in the ring, he thrives on the biggest battles, those match-ups that really get fight fans excited. The Parker bout is one fight fans want to see.”
The situation with the four world titles in the heavyweight division is tied up in the ongoing Fury-Joshua negotiations, which are looking good at the moment, knock on wood. Oleksandr Usyk and Joe Joyce may fight for an interim WBO belt. Guys like Parker, who are still in contention, won’t want to just sit around, and the 37-year-old Chisora still draws some attention and has a bit of name value, while being dangerous but very beatable for the better fighters out there.
