Joshua vs. Parker: Promoters Putting Wheels in Motion For March

By Edward Chaykovsky

The respective promoters for IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and mandatory challenger Joseph Parker are putting the wheels in motion for a showdown in March of next year.

Joshua is going to make the next defense of his title on November 26th with Kubrat Pulev as the current frontrunner. Parker is scheduled to face Alexander Dimitrenko on October 1.

As BoxingScene.com previously reported, Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport would like to place Parker on the undercard of the planned event on November 26. He wants to match him against Olympic bronze medal winner David Price, who also wants a crack at Joshua (17-0, 17KOs).

Parker's promoter Dean Lonergan exclusively told Sky Sports: "What we are looking at is this - we fight Alexander Dimitrenko October 1, then if all goes according to plan, and all parties can make something that works, we would fight on the Anthony Joshua undercard on November 26.

"I do believe it's not going to be in London, it's going to be somewhere else. Then we would fight, assuming that all things go well for Joe, in March, is the indicative date that Eddie has given us. That's the date for the world title fight, but it's a tough turnaround, I think it's five or six weeks from October 1 and November 26, but you know what, Joseph thrives on activity and in an ideal world we would have a few more weeks to prepare for that fight.

Hearn believes a Parker (20-0, 17KOs) vs. Price eliminator would make a fight against either contender a much bigger event for March. Joshua vs. Parker is a very big fight for the heavyweight division, but Hearn feels the contest needs a little more seasoning to increase the magnitude of the event. Both fighters are huge names in their respective markets and have large followings.

"At this stage anything is possible," Hearn told Sky Sports. "We have a situation where we could fight Parker next and I believe in an ideal world Parker's team would like to keep developing Joseph before he fights Anthony Joshua - and they'd certainly be wise to. From my point of view Joshua v Parker will be a huge fight, but he hasn't quite reached his full potential yet. For us, we either box him in November or December or March - all are possible.

"If Joshua fights someone else first, Parker has asked if he could be on the undercard, which I like the idea of because it gives the UK fans the chance to see him in the flesh and really promote the March fight.

"One of the names they put forward was David Price and interestingly Price has been calling out Joshua, but I think he needs a credible win to make their fight sizeable - and a win over Joseph Parker would not only give him that credibility but would also make him mandatory for Joshua. I see it as a tough fight for both and a great fight but the gamble is, if Parker comes over and knocks Price out, it makes the fight with Joshua in March huge."