Anthony Joshua v Joseph Parker: The start of a special year in British boxing
- Published
Deontay Wilder (left) is WBC champion, while Anthony Joshua (middle) is IBF and WBA champion and Joseph Parker (right) holds the WBO title
We should relish fights like Anthony Joshua v Joseph Parker - and there is a real chance we might see a piece of history being made later in the year.
We may look back on 2018 as a special year in the history of British boxing.
As he announced Joshua would fight Parker in Cardiff on 31 March, promoter Eddie Hearn said he was proud two reigning heavyweight world champions would meet in Britain for the first time.
In terms of global resonance, we are moving a step closer to one heavyweight holding all four belts. That has rarely happened in any weight division, and never among the heavyweights.
Britain is the focus of the heavyweight championship of the world, a prize that used to be the richest in the sport.
It has more interest globally than it has had for almost two decades - since Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, and the dying embers of Mike Tyson's career. That is largely due to Joshua - the IBF and WBA champion - and Parker, who is putting his WBO title on the line.
If WBC champion Deontay Wilder beats Luis Ortiz on 3 March, it adds an extra dimension to the Joshua-Parker fight, and it will be absolutely clear what is at stake for the winner.
There will be jeopardy for Joshua. Lose against Parker and he effectively loses more than one fight - he will also miss out on that date with Wilder.
But Joshua is a massive favourite - Parker has been given much less chance of winning than Conor McGregor was against Floyd Mayweather.
It is about his power and being in a home fight. He is a level above Parker, but we are about to find out if that is right.
'Joshua needs more creativity'
This is a credible fight for Joshua.
Parker is proud of the claim he has never been floored, never been wobbled. Outside of Wladimir Klitschko, this is the toughest it gets as a professional. It is a move up in grade which I liken to strikers in football moving from Championship to Premier League and finding it harder to score goals.
Moving up a level is even more significant in heavyweight boxing because they hit so hard. The chin gets stronger and fighters get more adept at looking after themselves.
Joshua had so many victories in the first, second and third rounds, but three of his past four fights since becoming champion have been among the longest of his career. Likewise, Parker has had three world title fights that went the distance.
It goes to show when you move up a grade, you find there is more than a single powerful punch.
Two undefeated heavyweight champions are coming together for the first time since Mike Tyson fought Tony Tucker in Las Vegas in 1987.
That went the distance as well. It was at a point in Tyson's career early in his reign as champion and he faced a challenge - what do you do when they are not falling over? It is kind of the area Joshua is in at the moment.
He needs to add something more to his game and do it over 12 rounds - find creativity, more invention in breaking a man down.
The important punch will be the jab. Parker has a solid jab, so does Joshua when he uses it. It is an important component in terms of asserting authority early in the fight and setting up the openings for a bigger backhand shot, where Joshua could be really dominant if he gets going.
In terms of what is said in the build-up, Joshua will react in the ways he needs to. If he gets respect, then respect flows.
He learnt a valuable lesson before the Dillian Whyte fight, he got rattled, he says he took that into the ring and it really affected his performance.
It was one of his longest fights, only Carlos Takam and Klitschko took him longer. He was badly rattled and wobbled because he turned it into a street fight and lost his mind because of what Whyte was saying.
How will Parker cope with a knockdown?
Parker will be hit harder than he has ever been hit before. His record as amateur and professional suggests he has a very strong chin and he will need it against Joshua.
He may have the strength to take Joshua's best shots early on, and if he is still there, does Joshua get demoralised? To my mind, Joshua is very strong mentally.
It will be an interesting stage of the fight if Parker goes over. How does he react? We know how Joshua reacts, we saw that against Wladimir Klitschko.
But how will Parker react the first time he finds himself on the canvas on the biggest occasion of his career?
'Bigger than anything Parker has experienced'
As an amateur Parker represented New Zealand at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in the super-heavyweight division, and narrowly missed qualification for the 2012 Olympics before turning professional
This is life-changing for Parker. He could have stuck to his region, and made decent money fighting in New Zealand.
It is hard to measure how much bigger this is than anything else he has been involved in before. He is a huge draw in New Zealand, second only to the All Blacks he told me.
The whole build-up and news conference this week will reveal a lot of how he copes on the big occasion.
At Tuesday's news conference, he will see more people than he has ever seen at one before. It will dawn on him how big this is.
On the biggest occasion you either grow or shrink. Sometimes boxers don't know how they will be until the bell goes. There is an element of that with Parker. He strikes me as someone ready for it, but you just don't know.
'Britain could dominate heavyweight division'
Joshua's past three world championship fights have been televised in the United States and there is big interest there because of what it potentially means for Wilder.
After the Klitschko fight, we saw quotes from George Foreman and Tyson that Joshua has revitalised the division.
In the long term, if Joshua wins and goes on to beat Wilder, it could well be that the next three or four years in the heavyweight division are an all-British affair.
Tyson Fury could be back on the scene, Joe Joyce is in the early stages of his career, and Daniel Dubois will be ready to challenge in a couple of years.
Mike Costello was talking to BBC Sport's Matthew Davis.
- Published14 January 2018
- Published22 December 2018
