Parker’s trimmed figure will give him a boost in speed, footwork, and movement, but questions continue to linger over his punching power. His last knockout victory was back in 2020 over American Shawndell Winters. Since that stoppage, his most impressive win has been a unanimous decision victory in the second Derek Chisora bout, while his other wins leave much to be desired. Even if tonight’s opponent isn’t a household name, a brutal knockout would get his highlight reel going again. Now that doesn’t mean coming out of the blocks firing in the opening rounds expecting to land the crushing blow. Parker’s learned to be patient over time and has shown he can go toe-to-toe in technical warfare (his WBO title win over Andy Ruiz Jr comes to mind). But finishing the job could be the difference in where his career trajectory heads to. Also, more knockouts equal more pay-per-view buys, more money and a much-needed leapfrog in the heavyweight rankings. Simple enough.
The unforgiving path: Joseph Parker’s journey to rebuild heavyweight standing
3) Get regular competition
This one should also be simple. Between his professional debut in 2012 and his world title victory in 2016, Parker took to the ring on 22 occasions. This includes four fights in 2013 and five fights each year from 2014-16. Since his world title win, Parker has had 13 fights in a seven-year span, including just the lone fight in the years 2019, 2020 and 2022. There’s an urge not to use the Covid-19 pandemic button as part of the reasoning, but with restrictions loosening around the globe, Parker’s got a chance to find as many opponents as possible to stake his claim in the world title picture again. More matchups will give Parker enough reps to get back to his best, rather than each fight feeling like a restart of his progression under trainer Andy Lee. Tonight’s fight will be Parker’s second of the year and he plans to take to the ring at least twice more in 2023. That bodes well for Kiwi boxing fans, but not so much for a particular region...
4) Head back to the UK
Parker’s latest stint in the United Kingdom was an example of right place, wrong time. Quality opponents were there for the 31-year-old to make a statement, but through a lack of in-ring time, setbacks and dare I say, a global pandemic, the multi-fight Sky Sports UK deal didn’t lead to the desired outcome for Parker to re-enter the world title picture. But say he lands the finishing blow against Django at Margaret Court Arena tonight, goes on to fight on a regular basis, including bouts against a Daniel Dubois or a Michael Hunter, and stays in peak shape under George Lockhart, you’ve now got a confident Parker who feels he’s got the upper hand to redeem himself against Anthony Joshua, Dillian Whyte and Joe Joyce – the three occupants in Parker’s loss column. With talks of a unification title bout between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk having stalled, a return to the UK in the meantime will give Parker the best shot to jockey for a better position in the heavyweight rankings.
Tyson Fury: Why Joseph Parker can become champion again
5) Don’t lose*
This final one comes with an asterisk. The ideal storyline in Parker’s redemption arc would be to build a win streak filled with quality victories and a second wind, get vengeance against the trio of Joshua, Whyte and Joyce (if not all, then two out of three ain’t bad as Meatloaf puts it) and beat Fury, Usyk or whoever the champion is for the heavyweight belt(s). This is usually where the list ends.
Of course, a loss would be a devastating blow to Parker’s quest to hold the world title again. Whether he can afford another one depends on when the former WBO champion wishes to hang up his gloves. At 31 years of age, time is still on Parker’s side. Most of his closest rivals in the division are older than him. If he’s aiming to leave boxing by his mid-thirties, with regular competition, he could take a hit in his record if he’s got the quality wins to keep him afloat. But Parker knows he has the financial security and his body intact to enjoy life after fighting. He’s a noted family man who will make the decision that’s best for him. If that means his next defeat will eventually lead to his swansong, then this final point becomes valid. But if he carries the optimism he’s shown this week, claiming he could “go forever” in his in-ring career, then nothing will stop him reaching the pinnacle again. Let’s just hope he doesn’t feel the need to pull a George Foreman and win the belt at the ripe old age of 45.
