Through no fault of his own, the background noise from overseas regarding Joseph Parker's credentials as a heavyweight champion has gone from merely irritating to downright ridiculous.
The latest, and perhaps most bizarre casual criticism, has come from Thomas Hauser, Muhammad Ali's biographer, who said in the wake of Anthony Joshua's stunning performance against Wladimir Klitschko which more than lived up to what was an extraordinarily hyped fight was that Deontay Wilder, the WBC champion, would probably knock Parker out.
Based on the background of both fighters, and in particular American Wilder's last fight and what I have seen of Kiwi Parker in covering his career from the moment he turned professional in 2012, I would humbly suggest otherwise.
American Wilder is tall (2.01m), with a very long wingspan. The 31-year-old also has an awkward style and a bazooka at the end of his right arm, but he looked terrible in his last fight against Gerald Washington, a 35-year-old former professional American football player, who until that point was undefeated in a 19-fight professional career but is a boxer whom operates at a little over journeyman level.
Washington made Wilder look ordinary for four rounds until he walked into a right hand in the fifth which sent him to the floor and finished the fight. Two judges had him sharing the points with Wilder at that stage, with one judge favouring Wilder.
