There may have been plenty of bumps along the road, but Joseph Parker is currently living a life with no regrets.
Just a few short years ago, Parker (30-3, 21 KOs) was on top of the boxing world as he clutched onto his WBO heavyweight trinket. Anthony Joshua, nevertheless, truncated his reign in March of 2018. Since then, Parker has done his best to pick up the pieces from his shattered championship run. While he’s enjoyed protracted periods of success, Parker has come up short on the grandest of stages.
Most recently, with his win streak reaching six, Parker attempted to solidify himself as a bonafide contender with a win over Joe Joyce. Although he kept his hands up high and attacked constantly, the former Olympic silver medalist plowed forward, shrugging off Parker’s offensive onslaught before registering a stoppage victory in the 11th round.
Stained with three losses on his record, Parker will begin his long and arduous road back to contender status when he takes on Jack Massey on January 21st. To a great extent, Parker views his shortcomings as both a badge of honor and as learning experiences. With that in mind, Parker’s defeat at the hands of Dillian Whyte still cuts deep.
On July 28th, 2018, Parker found himself on the canvas in both the second and ninth against Whyte. In the championship rounds, however, the newly turned 30-year-old rallied back, scoring a knockdown in the final frame.
Moral victories though, won’t placate Parker’s ego. Although he admits that he must shine come fight night against Massey, if he goes on to do so, Parker reveals that a rematch against Whyte is at the top of his to-do list.
“That’s the one fight that I would like to fight again,” said Parker to Sky Sports Boxing. “I respect Dillian Whyte and what he’s done in his boxing career. We had a great first fight, I would like to back it up. If I can get past Jack Massey in good fashion, I would love the opportunity to fight Dillian Whyte again.”