by Duncan Johnstone
New Zealand heavyweight boxer Joseph Parker has claimed a significant rise in his world rankings, knocking on the door of the top 10.
On a day when Parker was cleared of any major damage to his problem left shoulder ahead of Thursday night's fight with Sherman Williams in Auckland, he received an injection of faith from the WBA organization who updated their rankings yesterday and lifted Parker from No 15 to No 11 in a division headed by world champion Wladirmir Klitschko.
Parker is the WBA's Pan Asian heavyweight champion. He is also ranked at No 14 by the WBO as their Oriental champion. He puts both belts on the line against Williams.
Barry said the rankings rise was a reflection of the work Parker had put in and the growing respect he was earning.
It was a boost for Parker's promotional team at Duco Events as they look to secure more meaningful fights in their drive to get the 22-year-old into the top 10.
He is unbeaten over 10 fights since turning pro in mid-2012, winning nine of them by knockout.
"There are a lot of guys ahead of Joe who Joe is a lot better than. There's also some guys further down the rankings who would be difficult styles for us. So as the coach I don't put that much emphasis on the rankings," Barry said.
"But it is very good for the team at Duco ... the higher we move in the rankings it improves our chances of trying to get Joe into fights with other ranked guys."
Spreading Parker's rankings across the other organizations in the sport's alphabet soup of power is Duco's next challenge.
They are desperate to get him ranked by the WBC, the one organization freed of the Klitschko dominance after brother Vitali's retirement.
The WBC now have Canadian Bermane Stiverne as their champion, a fighter Parker has sparred with and looked more than comfortable against during his Las Vegas camps. That appears the easiest route to a genuine belt.
For now, taking care of Williams is the focus with Barry demanding an impressive victory.
Barry said the untimely shoulder injury hadn't affected their buildup work other than remove Parker's running work on Saturday when he had his left arm in a sling.
They remained on schedule and the game plan hadn't altered.
