Comments Thread For: Joseph Parker explains why he's rolling the dice against Fabio Wardley

[BoxingUpdates]

Joseph Parker is not the man or fighter he used to be, writes Tris Dixon
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[pollywog]

Humble, respectful, quietly confident, full trust in his team...

What's not to like about The Mighty Oilskin Parker ?

[VislorTurlough]

Kudos to Parker for taking this fight when he’s a mandatory. Most in that situation take a gimme or don’t fight at all. Example - wait for announce of Kabayel’s next opponent. Fish eyes searching through the obituaries right now

[Ulver]

This bunk about Fury being a "fighting man" is hilarious. When he's not retired, which is half the time, Fury is cherry picking gimme fights like his "trilogy" with Chisora. What a farce.

I also notice that Fury wouldn't hesitate to snatch his good pal Parker's shot at Usyk away and take it for himself, though he doesn't merit a shot and Parker does.

[joe strong]

I think Parker is going to have little issues with Wardley...

[joe strong]

Humble, respectful, quietly confident, full trust in his team...

What's not to like about The Mighty Oilskin Parker ?

I was one of the few on this site that ALWAYS said Parker was better than he got credit for. One of my favourite HWs...

[hugh grant]

I think Parker is going to have little issues with Wardley...

Parker has a better chance to land his bombs but Parker goes down when hit and Fabio will land so could be interesting up and down fight

[joe strong]

[QUOTE=hugh grant;n32541994]

Parker has a better chance to land his bombs but Parker goes down when hit and Fabio will land so could be interesting up and down fight[j/QUOTE]
Joyce was accumulative punches, Whyte was a headbutt, Zhang drops everyone… Think he’s been down only 4 times…

[steeve steel]

If Parker doesn't solidly outbox Wardley for 12 rounds, or even take him out, what chance does he have against Usyk?

[PRINCEKOOL]

Calm down people, with all the praise for Joseph Parker 'he has been a professional fighter, for a longer period of time than Anthony Joshua. But since 2018? He has been a non-factor in the Heavyweight Divisions until very recently. Those are the facts'.

For the better part of half a decade, during the peak years of the Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder heavyweight reigns. Joseph Parker was doing nothing much in the sport, accept being beaten by fighters like Dillian Whyte and smashed up by Joe Joyce. Yes of course? Joseph Parker as always displayed fairly commendable efforts against those fighters, but guess what? He was still beaten. Still smashed up.

So let's all clam down with this over exaggerated praise for Joseph Parker, like he is the boxing version of Conan the Barbarian 'as I see some people comparing him to Tyson Fury. Whether people like fighters such as Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder the facts of this heavyweight era are? That they have been the premier champions, the Heavyweight Mountains of this era. The main characters of this boxing era if it was being made into a cinematic piece.

Joseph Parker has not been one of the premier champions, and neither is he one of the main characters of this heavyweight era. He has only just very recently, decided that he wants to play around at top level in the sport

Note: What I am saying is real? In 2018 Anthony Joshua beat a unbeaten Joseph Parker easy, without getting out of second gear. In December 2023 Joseph Parker beat Deontay Wilder, in a extremely underwhelming fight. Great win for Parker, but skill for skill? The fight was nothing special. So that is 5 years, at the absolute peak of this Heavyweight era where Joseph Parker was a non-factor in the game'.

And this was not because all of those fighters like Fury, Joshua and Wilder 'were all avoiding him. It was because, when the going got tough? Joseph Parker was beaten, and smashed up again and again'

Anthony Joshua has been living at this level since 2017, and I don't see certain folk praising him 'Fabio Wardley is a domestic level fighter, a fighter with zero amateur experience. Yes he is a solid and game fighter, but? As a fighter that is how I would best describe him now at this point in his career'.

But even still, I think Joseph Parker's fans should not get too ahead of themselves 'there is a big difference, between losing at elite level in the sport. Like the way Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua have, compared? To losing against fighter like Dillian Whyte, Joe Joyce and some people even say he lost against Hughie Fury. I personally don't think Parker lost against Hughie Fury, but the very fact that enough respected people in the game? Can all share a common opinion that Hughie Fury beat Joseph Parker, shows you that Parker has never been on the level of Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua or even Deontay Wilder at his peak'.

Joseph Parker should really beat Fabio Wardley, but as the fight draws closer 'the chances of Fabio Wardley winning are increasing. When you really check the resumes of Parker and Wardley. Then Fabio Wardley has arguable been fighting and beating the more in form fighters. Frazier Clarke twice, and then Justis Huni. All of those fighters were well prepared for their fights against Wardley, and they came to win'.

Joseph Parker in comparison has fought, Deontay Wilder, Zhilei Zhang, and then Martin Bakole. Wilder was miles outside of his peak, Parker still was unable to deck him. Zhilei Zhang? It is a solid win, but in my opinion an overrated win. Big deal, Anthony Joshua smashed up Zhang during his 2012 Olympic tournament win'.

And then we have Martin Bakole, here we go 'I will make a new paragraph for this one. You can all sit down and listen to this? Martin Bakole is not super talent heavyweight fighter. The man was for a professional athlete, grossly out of condition for his fight vs Joseph Parker. Bakole did no event turn up to win vs Parker; he was just taking a good business opportunity. Billy Nelson a boxing coach who I respect, has in his own words stated this? Martin Bakole has come a long way in the game, from when he first started being trained by Nelson. Sometimes fighters, just have to take opportunities when they are presented to them'.

So I personally don't rate Joseph Parker's win over Martin Bakole very highly, he beat a fighter who was operating at around 20% of his full game. And even if Martin Bakole was 100% conditioned. Skill for skill he is not a super talented fighter, and he never shown any real clutch game. The last time Bakole was in a fight, where the going got tough vs Michael Hunter, a former Cruiserweight fighter who has never been renowned for his brute strength or power. Michael Hunter was still able to beat up and force the stoppage vs Martin Bakole.

To conclude: So overall, like I stated at the beginning of my post 'people all need to calm down, with this recent over exaggerated praise of Joseph Parker. If he wins vs Fabio Wardley, I would like to see him ether fight Oleksandr Uysk in a title fight or Anthony Joshua II in a rematch'.

I would back Anthony Joshua 1000% to completely laser out Joseph Parker, in a rematch 'And decimate him' etc.