Rising super middleweight star Zach Parker (15-0, 11 KOs) returns to action on July 14 in an eight-round contest with Geard Ajetovic (31-17-1, 16 KOs) on the undercard of Tyron Zeuge's WBA World title defence against Rocky Fielding in Offenburg, Germany.
Parker has already begun to make a name for himself in a stacked domestic division. Current mandatory for the Lonsdale belt and in search of big fights, the Derbyshire man will look to boost his title credentials with a statement win over the tough Serbian.
“I haven’t seen too much of Ajetovic, but I know he’s been in there with some good lads and he’s never been stopped,” said Parker. “His last fight was against Sakio Bika and he went the distance so I’m expecting a good fight and he should be able to give me some rounds. I won’t go looking for the stoppage but if the opportunity comes I’ll take it. He’s not been stopped in 49 fights so if I’m the first one to stop him people are going to take notice.”
Parker got his first taste of mainstream attention last year with the devastating first-round stoppage of Luke Blackledge on the undercard of the World Boxing Super Series quarter-final between Callum Smith and Erik Skoglund in Liverpool.
A breakout performance that propelled him from Britain’s small halls to the big stage, earning the 24 year-old a promotional contract with Team Sauerland, and a chance to shine as the 'reserve fighter' for WBA Super Champion George Groves' and Chris Eubank Jr's sold-out semi-final showdown at the Manchester Arena.
“It’s been amazing,” said Parker. “I had been fighting on small shows in front of a couple hundred of people when I got my big break against Blackledge. I wasn’t expected to win that fight but I made light work of him, and then I signed for Sauerland, which I’m obviously very happy about, and got another big chance on the Groves-Eubank undercard."
Parker took his chance, producing another fan-friendly performance in Manchester, which saw him stop the durable Adasat Rodriguez inside two rounds.
“I had a tough opponent in front of me,” he reflects. “But I knew if I used my range, he would start walking on to shots, and he walked on to too many in the end!"
Having gone from fighting in front of hundreds at the Preston Guild Hall to 18,000 at the Manchester Arena in just a matter of months, Parker has been pleased with his progress and believes his performances prove he belongs on the big stage.
“I think I’ve adapted well to fighting on the big stage," he says. "I love getting under them lights and putting on a show for the people, and it shows. In my last two big fights, I’ve stopped one in the first round and the other in the second. If you look at my performances, I’ve do well under them big lights – and believe me, there’s more to come!”
The WBA World Super Middleweight title contest between Tyron Zeuge and Rocky Fielding will be shown live and exclusive on Sport1 in Germany and Sky Sports in the UK. Tickets are on sale now and available via www.eventim.de or by calling +49 (0)1806-533933.