By Ryan Burton
On March 31st, WBA/IBF/IBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (20-0, 20 KOs) will face WBO champion Joseph Parker (24-0, 18 KOs) in a heavyweight unification clash. The fight takes place at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales and will be broadcast by Sky Sports pay-per-view.
If Parker wins the fight, there is a rematch clause in place that Joshua can exercise.
Parker's promoter David Higgins said that if the rematch clause is exercised his fighter would receive 55% of the purse. His take for the upcoming fight is between 30-35%.
Parker's trainer Kevin Barry believes that there is a rematch clause for one reason and one reason only - that Team Joshua is legitimately worried that their fighter will lose.
"The reason why there is a rematch clause is because they are actually worried that they will lose the fight. Let's remember that both of these guys - Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker - are not the finished product. They are still learning their trade and still developing. They are still becoming better. Joe at 26 is the youngest fighter in anyone's top ten so of course Joshua and his people were going to put a rematch clause in the contract because when Joe beats him they need to try to get their belts back," Barry told BoxingScene.com.
Barry took it a step further and said that he doesn't think the British fighter has had a rematch clause in any of his previous 20 fights.
"I am pretty sure in a lot of other fights he has had there wasn't a rematch clause in the contract," said Barry.
Also on that card, Alexander Povetkin will defend his WBA Inter-Continental and WBO International heavyweight titles against Olympic bronze medal winner David Price. Former WBA ruler Povetkin is the mandatory challenger for the Joshua's WBA super title.
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