Joseph Parker has accused Boxxer of “lacking respect” for his fight on Saturday evening with Fabio Wardley.
The 33 year old, from New Zealand, and Wardley fight at London’s O2 Arena in an attempt to secure a contest with the undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in 2026.
They do so on a Queensberry Promotions bill that has been criticised on account of broadcasters DAZN demanding a pay-per-view fee of its subscribers, and on an evening that, until an injury suffered by Jeamie Tshikeva that forced his withdrawal from a British heavyweight title fight with Frazer Clarke, was on course to clash with Boxxer’s first promotion on the terrestrial television platform offered by the BBC.
In an era in which the British fight scene is perhaps suffering from neglect, Parker believes that the reality that his fight with England’s 30-year-old Wardley was organised first means that Boxxer ought to have prioritised an alternative date.
Clarke-Tshikeva has since been rescheduled for Vaillant Live in Derby on November 29, when the light heavyweight Ben Whittaker fights Benjamin Gavazi on a Matchroom bill elsewhere in England, but Parker told BoxingScene: “Our fight was locked in first and promoters should be working together to give the fans the best fights they can. If you’re going to clash on the same night, it’s one of those things – it’s one of those things. Is it another promoter trying to jeopardise another promoter’s fight night? I’m not sure what these promoters go through or what their thoughts are, but I think there should have been a bit more respect in that sense.
“Our fight was first and then the other fight could be moved to the next day. I guess you never know what they have in their minds.
“It’d be nice for all the supporters to have one fight to focus on, and then another fight night to focus on. I’m not sure it’s great to have two fight nights on the same night. ‘I want to watch this fight but then I’m gonna miss out on this fight, or this fight’s free…’ There’s so many factors that come into play.
“Either way, as a fighter, you want to go in there and fight anyway so it doesn’t really bother you as a fighter. But I do feel for the promoters, because they put a lot of work into promoting these fights, and you want the viewership to be able to make these fights work, so I do feel for the promoters.”
At Friday’s weigh-in Parker was 262lbs 4oz – the second heaviest weight of his career – making him 20lbs heavier than the 242lbs 7oz Wardley.
