Live updates: Junior Fa says he will be fit and ready for Joseph Parker’s fight after surgery delays fight

Watch him live as he provides an update for the Pasifika heavyweight showdown between Joseph Parker and Junior Fa.

Junior Fa is confident that he will be fit and ready for Pasifika’s rescheduled heavyweight clash against Joseph Parker.

The fight was scheduled for December 12, but was postponed after Fa found out that he needed surgery.

Duco’s David Higgins confirmed that the new date will be late February or early March.

Fa had a noticeable drop in performance during training last week and was told after blood tests that an undisclosed surgical procedure was necessary.

He said he was devastated with the news.

“I’ll be honest, I was devastated when they told me I would not fight … I could feel the drop in my performance,” he told the media today.

“I’ve had a week to get over that and focus on a possible new date. I’m focused on getting back to 100 percent to train.”

Fa’s manager, Mark Keddell, said Fa suffered from an “internal problem.”

“It’s about getting Junior back in the ring as quickly as possible,” Keddell said.

“Everyone is very confident that things will go well. Unless we catch Covid in the hospital, we will be happy days.”

Keddell said Friday that he was not in a position to elaborate on what the test revealed or what the surgery involved, and said there were cards in this game that he had to keep close to his chest.

“Basically Junior has had an injury and is going to have a routine operation.”
Keddell said, and while the news was “devastating,” he didn’t see it affect his fighter’s chances.

“He’s in incredible shape,” Keddell said. “He’s at his fight weight, he’s got a six pack, he’s just one of those things.”

Keddell said that while Fa will lose some aerobic conditioning during the break, he was coming off a strong base and his power will only increase during the break.

Duco owner and Parker manager David Higgins notified sponsors, broadcasters and key stakeholders on Friday of the decision.

“It’s one of those things where you have to deal with punches, if you’ll excuse the horrible pun,” he said. “Boxing has a long history of this and often the delay creates even better events. You have to look for silver lights.”

Higgins cited the Rumble in the Jungle and our own clash between David Tua and Shane Cameron as events where the delays added to the anticipation. Both ended up being, obviously, on very different scales, cultural phenomena.

The fight was being sold on PPV on Spark and was primarily backed by the Chow brothers’ Stonewood Homes.

“It’s like always,” Higgins said. “All tables and ticketing are still valid. There is a waiting list for tables, so those who cannot attend, their tables will go back to the top of the waiting list.

“We are also working with Air New Zealand to help those flying into the fight who have been affected.”

The fight is important for Parker (27-2), who has notched three wins of varying quality since losing back-to-back fights to Britons Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte.

If it was important to Parker, it was critical to Fa (19-0), who at age 30 has not gained the traction in the heavyweight rankings that his undefeated record suggests, mainly due to the indescribable quality of most of his opponents .

While the Fight of the Century fight is pure boxing hyperbole, it’s not an exaggeration to say that this was a career-defining fight for Fa and a career crossroads for Parker.

“Joseph is in great shape,” Higgins said. “After nearly a year of training and waiting, I imagine Joseph will have some fury to unleash on Junior Fa when they enter the ring next year.”

The fight was not only highly anticipated as a sports competition, but also as a boost for an events industry that has received a count of eight as a result of the pandemic that has swept across the globe.

Several high-profile sporting events and festivals have already been canceled this year, including the ASB Classic, the Piha Pro surf contest, and music events like Laneway.