Boxing: Fa to fight next month, with one eye on Wilder

Junior Fa won his last fight in March against American Craig Lewis in Deadwood, South Dakota, by majority decision.

New Zealand heavyweight Junior Fa has signed a new three-fight deal with American promotor Lou di Bella and his next bout will be in the mid-June in either Auckland or the United States.

Fa's team are still working through the details of his next challenge and hope to reveal them within days but the short-to-medium-term goal is clear - a world title shot against either Anthony Joshua or Deontay Wilder, possibly as early as next year. The latter, an American, is also promoted by di Bella.

Fa's manager Mark Keddell is negotiating with two opponents for the June fight - his first choice is a Ghanaian with a 12-1 record, and his back-up is an American with a 13-1 record. The fight will be for a new WBO-sanctioned regional belt and a victory is likely to send Fa into the top 15 of the organisation.

Countryman Joseph Parker, who recently lost his WBO world title to Englishman Joshua, is now ranked No5 by the organisation. Parker is also ranked No5 by the WBC, whose champion is Wilder. Joshua holds the four other recognised world heavyweight titles.

Either of Fa's potential opponents is expected to provide a stern challenge for the 28-year-old, who is undefeated in 14 fights since turning professional in 2016.

"These are tough guys who know how to win," Keddell told the Weekend Herald. "We're not just picking easy-beats that Junior will blow over. Obviously Lou di Bella is Deontay Wilder's guy, so in four or five more fights, we're in the mix. We could be six months away from getting a call to fight Deontay Wilder, and we'll take it."

The high stakes mean Keddell has arranged for experienced American Malik Scott, a sparring partner and friend of Parker, to travel to New Zealand to train with Fa for three weeks.

Fa won his last fight in March against American Craig Lewis in Deadwood, South Dakota, by majority decision. He didn't impress the way he did in his previous fight in the US, a savage first-round knockout of Fred Latham last November.

Fa has conceded he didn't follow the game plan for his most recent fight in Deadwood, and was affected by the 1400m altitude.

All going to plan, Fa will also fight on what Keddell described as a big card in the US in August and will headline an event in Utah, where Fa has family connections, in October.

"By late February, we'll be 18-0 or 19-0 - that is the plan," Keddell said. "We've got to remember that Junior is a two-year pro and is on a development plan. It took Joseph [Parker] four years to fight for the title. We're happy with our progress - we're learning and we're taking tougher fights than a lot of guys around the world are."

Fa, who beat Parker twice as an amateur, seems destined to meet his rival in the ring at some point, but not in the medium term.