Joseph Parker v Junior Fa: Date changed for heavyweight boxing's Fight of the Century

Kiwi heavyweight boxers Joseph Parker and Junior Fa will have to wait slightly longer than expected to square off after their upcoming bout was pushed back.

Initially scheduled to be held on Friday December 11, the Stonewood Homes-sponsored 12-round clash will now take place on Saturday December 12 at Auckland's Spark Arena.

The fight was originally scheduled as a Friday night affair due to the possibility of clashing with an All Blacks game on the Saturday.

However, with the All Blacks schedule recently confirmed and the team playing their final game of the Tri-Nations in late November, the decision was made to move Fight of the Century back a night.

The fight being held on the Saturday night increases accessibility for fans who are hoping to get along to the historic bout - with the weekend date providing more opportunity for those travelling from outside of Auckland to get to the event.

While allowing for better access for Kiwis, holding the fight on a Saturday also ensures the event maximises its potential for international viewers, with the event now reaching markets like UK and Europe on a Saturday morning.

Those who have tickets but can no longer attend the event due to the change in date will be able to get a refund.

"As a non-working day for many, Saturday provides the best opportunity for more people to attend the event, especially those travelling to Auckland from all around the country," Duco Events director David Higgins said.

Kiwi fight fans planning to watch on television at home would also have more time on the Saturday to download the Spark Sport app and order the pay-per-view if they hadn't already done so.

"This is the biggest heavyweight contest in New Zealand history and we think it has the chance to break the current New Zealand pay-per-view record," Higgins said.

Preparations for the bout are now well underway in both camps, with Parker's coach Kevin Barry returning to New Zealand from Las Vegas and now able to link up with the former WBO champion after clearing quarantine, while Eugene Bareman is back at Auckland's City Kickboxing gym to take his place alongside head coach Doug Viney and the rest of Fa's coaching team after returning from UFC duties in Abu Dhabi.

Speaking to media on Thursday, Barry said his camp had been keeping an eye on Fa knowing this bout would one day eventuate, and that "the stars were really alligned" for this fight.

"We're going to have to be at our best," Barry said, "Because I know that the opportunity is there - and the key word in all of this is opportunity - the opportunity is for Junior Fa to change his whole life and to do against Joseph Parker what Joseph Parker did to Carlos Takam.

"This is a fight that the New Zealand public are blessed to have."