Parker's Promoter: Klitschko is Shot, He's Taking Easiest Option!

By Edward Chaykovsky

Duco Events' Dean Lonergan, who promotes WBO/IBF number one ranked heavyweight Joseph Parker, believes former world champion Wladimir Klitschko is running from the expected fight with IBF world champion Anthony Joshua.

The promoter for Klitschko and Joshua were close a deal with an announcement expected to take place this week, but their discussions hit a brick wall when Klitschko made it clear that he wasn't going to finalize the deal unless the the fight was sanctioned for the vacant WBA heavyweight belt, which was vacated last week by Tyson Fury.

There are strong indications that Klitschko could end up facing Australia's Lucas Browne in Germany on December 10, possibly with the WBA/IBO belts up for grabs.

Parker's promoter is still in talks with Bob Arum of Top Rank to stage a fight with Andy Ruiz for the WBO world title on December 10 in New Zealand. That deal depends on the bout being sanctioned for the WBO title, which Fury also vacated. Parker and Ruiz are the two of the top three contenders for the belt.

Now with Klitschko potentially being out of the Joshua race, there could be a chance that Parker is called to get his mandatory shot at Joshua, who returns on December 10 in Manchester.

Klitschko is number 2 in the WBO rankings, but Lonergan doubts he would step up to face Parker, who is ranked number 1 (with Ruiz at 3). The New Zealand promoter full expects Klitschko to go in the direction of Browne for the WBA/IBO belts.

Lonergan feels a Ruiz fight, for the WBO belt in New Zealand, will be huge - and creates a big March unification scenario with Joshua.

"I can see the Anthony Joshua v Wladimir Klitschko fight falling over for a variety of reasons and Klitschko is going to take the soft option of fighting in Hamburg against Lucas Browne," Lonergan said to Fairfax Media. "That just goes to show that Klitschko is past it and shot. He had the opportunity to make a massive comeback and massive statement against one of the young lions."

"If he passes on that fight, he also has the opportunity to take on the other young lion of the division in Joseph Parker. But he's not ... he's taking the softest option possible and I think it's a disgrace that they couldn't finish that (Joshua) deal for the sake of boxing and his own credibility."

"I can't speak for Bob Arum,  but his opinion is if Andy Ruiz is going to fight Joseph Parker it should be for the WBO world title. And if Klitschko doesn't have the balls to stand up and fight Joe, why shouldn't we fight for the world title? We could potentially be up for discussion on that. But the opportunity to make history with a world title fight in New Zealand is just to great an opportunity to pass up.

"If we take a long-term view, we'd much rather have a negotiation and a fight with Anthony Joshua when we are unifying two titles as opposed to us going to fight for one as a mandatory. It's going to be a better deal for Joseph Parker and Duco, and a much bigger fight. But the biggest hurdle to all of this happening is for the WBO to allow us to fight Andy Ruiz.