WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker (23-0, 18 KOs), 24 years old, is hoping to get in the ring with the other beltholders in the division to unify all of the titles.
At the moment, Anthony Joshua (19-0, 19 KOs) holds the WBA, IBO, IBF world titles and Deontay Wilder (38-0, 37 KOs) is the WBC champion.
Parker will return in September, when he heads to Manchester to face undefeated mandatory challenger Hughie Fury, who is the undefeated cousin of former world champion Tyson Fury.
Parker believes the upcoming contest, which takes place at the Manchester Arena in September 23, will help raise his profile in the division.
A big showcase on UK soil will certainly go a long way to building a potential 2018 showdown with Joshua, who right now is the biggest name in the heavyweight division.
“It’s alright. These other guys are fighting on that side of the world with all the exposure they get. New Zealand has got a small population to compare and for us to already have a world champion and now to start fighting, it’s a good step for us,” Parker said to Sport 360.
“It’s great to be a world champion, to achieve that goal that I set at a young age, but now I want to go on to do more, to create my own legacy. People don’t know me, but that’s all right. Hopefully they will soon. I want to show skills, bring excitement, pressure, be the fighter that everyone will remember.
“This is my chance in the UK to show what I can do. And I believe things happen when they are supposed to happen. Like every other heavyweight fighter I want to unify the belts, it’s a goal for me. It’s going to give me the motivation to train harder and focus. Just because you win one title, that’s not enough.”
Parker is very confident in his ability and is more than confident that he can topple both Joshua and Wilder – once he gets them the ring.
“I back myself to beat anyone. I don’t fear anyone and will fight anyone. The focus is of course on Hughie now and after that we will sit down and look to fight the other best fighters in the world,” Parker said.
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