Joe Joyce and Joseph Parker on Friday came in hefty for their heavyweight fight Saturday in Manchester, England.
Joe Joyce and Joseph Parker on Friday came in at career-high weights for their heavyweight fight Saturday in Manchester, England (ESPN+ in U.S.).
Joyce weighed 271.6 pounds. 1.6 more than his previous high of 270 for his fight against Michael Wallisch in July 2020. He was 265.5 for his last fight, a fourth-round TKO against Christian Hammer this past July.
Parker weighed 255.4, 4.4 more than his heaviest of 251 for his most recent fight, a decision over Derek Chisora last December.
The winner of the fight at AO Arena will become the mandatory challenger for Oleksandr Usyk’s WBO title.
Joe Joyce and Joseph Parker on Friday came in hefty for their heavyweight fight Saturday in Manchester, England.
Joe Joyce and Joseph Parker on Friday came in at career-high weights for their heavyweight fight Saturday in Manchester, England (ESPN+ in U.S.).
Joyce weighed 271.6 pounds. 1.6 more than his previous high of 270 for his fight against Michael Wallisch in July 2020. He was 265.5 for his last fight, a fourth-round TKO against Christian Hammer this past July.
Parker weighed 255.4, 4.4 more than his heaviest of 251 for his most recent fight, a decision over Derek Chisora last December.
The winner of the fight at AO Arena will become the mandatory challenger for Oleksandr Usyk’s WBO title.
Joy Joyce on fight with Joseph Parker on Saturday in England: “I plan to stop him.”
How can heavyweight contender Joe Joyce make the most of his fight against Joseph Parker on Saturday at AO Arena in Manchester, England (ESPN+)?
Become the first to stop the former titleholder from New Zealand.
That’s the plan for Joyce (14-0, 13 KOs) in the battle to become the mandatory challenger for Oleksandr Usyk’s WBO belt. The 37-year-old Londoner wants to make a statement in arguably the toughest matchup in his career.
“I’ve been levelling up here and there, taking the strategic routes with good fighters on the way up,” Joyce told PA Media. “Now I’m at the top of the rankings with the WBO and fighting against a great fighter in Joseph Parker. It’s a must-win fight. I plan to win it and I plan to stop him, I don’t want it going to overtime.
“It would be a statement to stop him. Off the back of that I can potentially challenge Usyk or whoever else. There’s plenty of good fights out there.”
Joyce and Parker (30-2, 21 KOs) were expected to meet on July 2 but Parker pulled out at that time. He was replaced by veteran Christian Hammer, who went down four times and failed to make it out of the fourth round in London.
That was Joyce’s first fight in a full year. He took time off to recover from a wrist injury.
“The Hammer fight was great preparation for Parker,” he said. “I got rid of the ring rust so I hit the ground running (for the current training camp). It’s worked out better for me because I’m more prepared.”
If Joyce is successful on Saturday, he believes he’ll be ready to face three-belt champion Usyk in his next fight.
That isn’t likely to happen because Usyk has other plans.
The natural matchup for him is Tyson Fury, who owns the fourth major title. However, Fury is in talks to face Anthony Joshua in December. That news prompted Usyk to suggest he might fight Deontay Wilder, assuming Wilder defeats Robert Helenius on Oct. 15.
Joyce isn’t preoccupied with the jockeying for position in the heavyweight division.
He feels his time will come, although he certainly likes the idea of challenging Usyk. The Ukrainian outpointed Joyce in a five-round bout in the old World Series of Boxing in 2013.
“I’d love to fight Usyk, preferably after Parker,” he said. “I enjoyed the fight in the WSB even though I lost, but over 12 rounds I’d be too much for him. It would be an exciting fight, and I’d love to avenge that defeat.
“But I’m on the way there and I’m patient. I’m in a good place now.”
Joy Joyce on fight with Joseph Parker on Saturday in England: “I plan to stop him.”
How can heavyweight contender Joe Joyce make the most of his fight against Joseph Parker on Saturday at AO Arena in Manchester, England (ESPN+)?
Become the first to stop the former titleholder from New Zealand.
That’s the plan for Joyce (14-0, 13 KOs) in the battle to become the mandatory challenger for Oleksandr Usyk’s WBO belt. The 37-year-old Londoner wants to make a statement in arguably the toughest matchup in his career.
“I’ve been levelling up here and there, taking the strategic routes with good fighters on the way up,” Joyce told PA Media. “Now I’m at the top of the rankings with the WBO and fighting against a great fighter in Joseph Parker. It’s a must-win fight. I plan to win it and I plan to stop him, I don’t want it going to overtime.
“It would be a statement to stop him. Off the back of that I can potentially challenge Usyk or whoever else. There’s plenty of good fights out there.”
Joyce and Parker (30-2, 21 KOs) were expected to meet on July 2 but Parker pulled out at that time. He was replaced by veteran Christian Hammer, who went down four times and failed to make it out of the fourth round in London.
That was Joyce’s first fight in a full year. He took time off to recover from a wrist injury.
“The Hammer fight was great preparation for Parker,” he said. “I got rid of the ring rust so I hit the ground running (for the current training camp). It’s worked out better for me because I’m more prepared.”
If Joyce is successful on Saturday, he believes he’ll be ready to face three-belt champion Usyk in his next fight.
That isn’t likely to happen because Usyk has other plans.
The natural matchup for him is Tyson Fury, who owns the fourth major title. However, Fury is in talks to face Anthony Joshua in December. That news prompted Usyk to suggest he might fight Deontay Wilder, assuming Wilder defeats Robert Helenius on Oct. 15.
Joyce isn’t preoccupied with the jockeying for position in the heavyweight division.
He feels his time will come, although he certainly likes the idea of challenging Usyk. The Ukrainian outpointed Joyce in a five-round bout in the old World Series of Boxing in 2013.
“I’d love to fight Usyk, preferably after Parker,” he said. “I enjoyed the fight in the WSB even though I lost, but over 12 rounds I’d be too much for him. It would be an exciting fight, and I’d love to avenge that defeat.
“But I’m on the way there and I’m patient. I’m in a good place now.”
Joseph Parker said we’ll see a new and improved version of him when he fights Joe Joyce on Friday in England.
Joseph Parker insists fans will see a more well-rounded fighter when he faces Joe Joyce on Saturday at AO Arena in Manchester, England.
The former heavyweight titleholder worked with trainer Andy Lee for his past two fights, a split decision over Derek Chisora and then a unanimous decision in the rematch last year. He believes he’s better than ever.
The latter fight with Chisora took place in December, meaning he will have been out of the ring for nine months.
“There are multiple weapons in my armor now,” Parker told Stuff.co.nz. “Before I would say I was a boxer who boxed and moved, was defensive and passive, and didn’t really push the action.
“Now I want to push the action. I’ll be right there, standing toe to toe, going at it.”
Don’t get the wrong idea. The 30-year-old from New Zealand isn’t going to stand toe to toe the entire fight against a bigger man known for his aggression and knockout power. That wouldn’t be smart.
Parker (30-2, 21 KOs) plans to use his skills and superior athleticism while picking his spots to attack. The idea is to frustrate the less experienced Joyce (14-0, 13 KOs) and wear down the Londoner, who is 37.
If the Kiwi is successful, he’ll be the mandatory challenger for Oleksandr Usyk’s WBO belt, although a rematch clause could result in a second fight with Joyce regardless of who wins.
“He’s going to get frustrated because he can’t catch me,” Parker said. “I’m going to be too good for him, I’m going to move too fast for him and have too much speed. I’m going to pick him apart, and when Andy tells me the time is right, I’m going to get him out of there if I can.
“He’s very tough and strong, but if he keeps taking these punches, eventually he is going to fall.”
That said, this could be Parker’s most difficult fight since he lost a unanimous decision to Dillian Whyte in July 2018, which followed his title-losing decision against Anthony Joshua.
That fact inspires him.
“I love the challenge,” he said, “that’s what I live for.”
Joseph Parker said we’ll see a new and improved version of him when he fights Joe Joyce on Friday in England.
Joseph Parker insists fans will see a more well-rounded fighter when he faces Joe Joyce on Saturday at AO Arena in Manchester, England.
The former heavyweight titleholder worked with trainer Andy Lee for his past two fights, a split decision over Derek Chisora and then a unanimous decision in the rematch last year. He believes he’s better than ever.
The latter fight with Chisora took place in December, meaning he will have been out of the ring for nine months.
“There are multiple weapons in my armor now,” Parker told Stuff.co.nz. “Before I would say I was a boxer who boxed and moved, was defensive and passive, and didn’t really push the action.
“Now I want to push the action. I’ll be right there, standing toe to toe, going at it.”
Don’t get the wrong idea. The 30-year-old from New Zealand isn’t going to stand toe to toe the entire fight against a bigger man known for his aggression and knockout power. That wouldn’t be smart.
Parker (30-2, 21 KOs) plans to use his skills and superior athleticism while picking his spots to attack. The idea is to frustrate the less experienced Joyce (14-0, 13 KOs) and wear down the Londoner, who is 37.
If the Kiwi is successful, he’ll be the mandatory challenger for Oleksandr Usyk’s WBO belt, although a rematch clause could result in a second fight with Joyce regardless of who wins.
“He’s going to get frustrated because he can’t catch me,” Parker said. “I’m going to be too good for him, I’m going to move too fast for him and have too much speed. I’m going to pick him apart, and when Andy tells me the time is right, I’m going to get him out of there if I can.
“He’s very tough and strong, but if he keeps taking these punches, eventually he is going to fall.”
That said, this could be Parker’s most difficult fight since he lost a unanimous decision to Dillian Whyte in July 2018, which followed his title-losing decision against Anthony Joshua.
That fact inspires him.
“I love the challenge,” he said, “that’s what I live for.”
Fight Week: The return of Shakur Stevenson and Joy Joyce vs. Joseph Parker.
FIGHT WEEK
Rising star Shakur Stevenson will defend his 130-pound belts against Brazilian Robson Conceicao on Friday on ESPN. Also, on Saturday, Joe Joyce and Joseph Parker face off.
SHAKUR STEVENSON (18-0, 9 KOs) VS. ROBSON CONCEICAO (17-1, 8 KOs)
When: Friday, Sept. 23
Time: 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT
Where: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
TV/Stream: ESPN, ESPN+
Division: Junior lightweight (130-pound limit)
At stake: Stevenson’s WBC and WBO titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: Stevenson No. 14
Odds: Stevenson 14-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Also on the card: Keyshawn Davis vs. Omar Tienda, lightweights
Prediction: Stevenson UD
Background: Stevenson, the gifted southpaw from New Jersey, is coming off sensational back-to-back victories over Jamel Herring (TKO 10 to win his belt) last October and Oscar Valdez (UD to unify two titles) in April to confirm his place among the best in the business. The 2016 Olympic silver medalist also held a 126-pound title in 2019. And he’s still only 25. He’s probably destined to challenge his fellow young stars at 135 pounds. However, he must get past Conceicao first. The 33-year-old Brazilian contender, a 2016 Olympic gold medalist, is a slick boxer with limited punching power. He gave a good account of himself in his first world title shot but fell short against then-champion Valdez last September, losing a clear decision. He rebounded to easily outpoint previously unbeaten Xavier Martinez in January. He’s ranked No. 2 by both the WBC and WBO.
JOE JOYCE (14-0, 13 KOs) VS. JOSEPH PARKER (30-2, 21 KOs)
When: Saturday, Sept. 24
Time: 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (7 p.m. BST)
Where: AO Arena, Manchester, England
TV/Stream: ESPN+
Division: Heavyweight (unlimited)
At stake: No major titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Odds: Joyce 2-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Also on the card: Amanda Serrano vs. Sarah Mahfoud, featherweights (for Serrano’s WBC and WBO and Mahfoud’s IBF titles); Michael Magnesi vs. Anthony Cacace, 12 rounds, junior lightweights; Ekow Essuman vs. Samuel Antwi, 12 rounds, welterweights
Prediction: Joyce UD
Background: Joyce and Parker are fighting to become the mandatory challenger to Oleksandr Usyk’s WBO heavyweight title. Joyce, a 2016 Olympic silver medalist, recorded his break through victory when he stopped British rival Daniel Dubois in 10 rounds in November 2020. The 37-year-old Londoner followed that with knock outs of Carlos Takam the following July and Christian Hammer this past July to establish himself as a top contender. Parker represents his biggest test. The 30-year-old Kiwi held the WBO belt from December 2016 to March 2018, when he lost it by decision in a title-unification bout against Anthony Joshua. He was outpointed by Dillian Whyte in his next fight but rebounded to win his next six bouts, including back-to-back decisions over Derek Chisora in May and December of last year. Also on the card, Amanda Serrano (42-2-1, 30 KOs) of Brooklyn will defend her featherweight titles against Sarah Mahfoud (11-0, 3 KOs) of Denmark. Serrano is coming off a split-decision loss to lightweight champ Katie Taylor in April.
ALSO FIGHTING THIS WEEK
SATURDAY
Leigh Wood vs. Mauricio Lara, featherweights, Nottingham, England (DAZN).
SUNDAY (IN JAPAN)
Floyd Mayweather vs. Mikuru Asakura, exhibition, junior middleweights, Saitama, Japan (pay-per-view).
Fight Week: The return of Shakur Stevenson and Joy Joyce vs. Joseph Parker.
FIGHT WEEK
Rising star Shakur Stevenson will defend his 130-pound belts against Brazilian Robson Conceicao on Friday on ESPN. Also, on Saturday, Joe Joyce and Joseph Parker face off.
SHAKUR STEVENSON (18-0, 9 KOs) VS. ROBSON CONCEICAO (17-1, 8 KOs)
When: Friday, Sept. 23
Time: 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT
Where: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
TV/Stream: ESPN, ESPN+
Division: Junior lightweight (130-pound limit)
At stake: Stevenson’s WBC and WBO titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: Stevenson No. 14
Odds: Stevenson 14-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Also on the card: Keyshawn Davis vs. Omar Tienda, lightweights
Prediction: Stevenson UD
Background: Stevenson, the gifted southpaw from New Jersey, is coming off sensational back-to-back victories over Jamel Herring (TKO 10 to win his belt) last October and Oscar Valdez (UD to unify two titles) in April to confirm his place among the best in the business. The 2016 Olympic silver medalist also held a 126-pound title in 2019. And he’s still only 25. He’s probably destined to challenge his fellow young stars at 135 pounds. However, he must get past Conceicao first. The 33-year-old Brazilian contender, a 2016 Olympic gold medalist, is a slick boxer with limited punching power. He gave a good account of himself in his first world title shot but fell short against then-champion Valdez last September, losing a clear decision. He rebounded to easily outpoint previously unbeaten Xavier Martinez in January. He’s ranked No. 2 by both the WBC and WBO.
JOE JOYCE (14-0, 13 KOs) VS. JOSEPH PARKER (30-2, 21 KOs)
When: Saturday, Sept. 24
Time: 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (7 p.m. BST)
Where: AO Arena, Manchester, England
TV/Stream: ESPN+
Division: Heavyweight (unlimited)
At stake: No major titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Odds: Joyce 2-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Also on the card: Amanda Serrano vs. Sarah Mahfoud, featherweights (for Serrano’s WBC and WBO and Mahfoud’s IBF titles); Michael Magnesi vs. Anthony Cacace, 12 rounds, junior lightweights; Ekow Essuman vs. Samuel Antwi, 12 rounds, welterweights
Prediction: Joyce UD
Background: Joyce and Parker are fighting to become the mandatory challenger to Oleksandr Usyk’s WBO heavyweight title. Joyce, a 2016 Olympic silver medalist, recorded his break through victory when he stopped British rival Daniel Dubois in 10 rounds in November 2020. The 37-year-old Londoner followed that with knock outs of Carlos Takam the following July and Christian Hammer this past July to establish himself as a top contender. Parker represents his biggest test. The 30-year-old Kiwi held the WBO belt from December 2016 to March 2018, when he lost it by decision in a title-unification bout against Anthony Joshua. He was outpointed by Dillian Whyte in his next fight but rebounded to win his next six bouts, including back-to-back decisions over Derek Chisora in May and December of last year. Also on the card, Amanda Serrano (42-2-1, 30 KOs) of Brooklyn will defend her featherweight titles against Sarah Mahfoud (11-0, 3 KOs) of Denmark. Serrano is coming off a split-decision loss to lightweight champ Katie Taylor in April.
ALSO FIGHTING THIS WEEK
SATURDAY
Leigh Wood vs. Mauricio Lara, featherweights, Nottingham, England (DAZN).
SUNDAY (IN JAPAN)
Floyd Mayweather vs. Mikuru Asakura, exhibition, junior middleweights, Saitama, Japan (pay-per-view).
Joseph Parker defeated Derek Chisora by a unanimous decision in a thriller Saturday in Manchester, England.
Joseph Parker did everything he wanted except stop Derek Chisora in their wild rematch Saturday in Manchester, England.
Parker, the former heavyweight titleholder, battered his game opponent for most of 12 rounds en route to a unanimous-decision victory at Manchester Arena.
Parker (30-2, 21 KOs) defeated Chisora (32-12, 23 KOs) by a split decision in May.
The Kiwi was credited with three knockdowns and seemed on the verge of stopping his British counterpart multiple times but could never finish the job, a testament to Chisora’s toughness and determination.
And the 37-year-old “Del Boy” had some good moments in the fight, which made it difficult for the referee to stop the fight.
Derek Chisora spent some time on the canvas Saturday in England. Alex Livesey / Getty Images
However, in the end, he couldn’t overcome the knockdowns on the cards. The final scores were 115-110, 115-111 and 114-112, which many will have believed were generous to Chisora.
With the victory, Parker, ranked by all four major sanctioning bodies, bolstered his position as a top contender.
Meanwhile, Chisora has now lost three consecutive fights to top-tier opponents, heavyweight champ Oleksandr Usyk and twice against Parker. All three fights were competitive, which should get him more opportunities.
Joseph Parker defeated Derek Chisora by a unanimous decision in a thriller Saturday in Manchester, England.
Joseph Parker did everything he wanted except stop Derek Chisora in their wild rematch Saturday in Manchester, England.
Parker, the former heavyweight titleholder, battered his game opponent for most of 12 rounds en route to a unanimous-decision victory at Manchester Arena.
Parker (30-2, 21 KOs) defeated Chisora (32-12, 23 KOs) by a split decision in May.
The Kiwi was credited with three knockdowns and seemed on the verge of stopping his British counterpart multiple times but could never finish the job, a testament to Chisora’s toughness and determination.
And the 37-year-old “Del Boy” had some good moments in the fight, which made it difficult for the referee to stop the fight.
Derek Chisora spent some time on the canvas Saturday in England. Alex Livesey / Getty Images
However, in the end, he couldn’t overcome the knockdowns on the cards. The final scores were 115-110, 115-111 and 114-112, which many will have believed were generous to Chisora.
With the victory, Parker, ranked by all four major sanctioning bodies, bolstered his position as a top contender.
Meanwhile, Chisora has now lost three consecutive fights to top-tier opponents, heavyweight champ Oleksandr Usyk and twice against Parker. All three fights were competitive, which should get him more opportunities.
