[ad_1]
Junior Fa says he is ready for the fight against Joseph Parker on February 27, while Parker has revealed that he also underwent surgery.
The all Kiwi fight was supposed to take place at Spark Arena on December 12, but was postponed due to a mysterious operation Fa had in October.
The new date for the fight was confirmed last week and as it was a quiet news day, the promoters took the opportunity to bring Parker and Fa in front of the media on Tuesday for an update.
However, there was little fresh news from Fa, who again refused to reveal what operation he needed for the fight to take place, while Parker took the opportunity the break provided to have bone fragments removed from his elbows.
READ MORE:
* February fight date set for Joseph Parker v Junior Fa Kiwi boxing blockbuster
* Junior Fa prevents brain drain as enthusiasm for Joseph Parker fight rises
* Joseph Parker brings David Nyika to train for the Junior Fa fight
“It hasn’t been the best year, for all of us and certainly for my health as well,” Fa said.
“I’m looking forward to next year and the new fight date. So I put my past behind me.
“I can’t wait to get back in the ring, it’s been over a year since I fought so I’m really excited for this one.”
DAVID BLANCO / THINGS
David Higgins says that Joseph Parker is in the unusual position of being the favorite for the February fight.
Ticket and corporate sales have been good for the fight, but there could be some caution about Fa’s health and whether he could go far against a seasoned boxer like Parker.
However, Fa sought to dispel those fears.
“I am going to be very healthy and very fit for this fight. I’m probably going to be in the best shape I’ve ever been, ”he said.
“Since the surgery I have been recovering, I feel better, compared to how I was in the past.
“I feel great and I can’t wait to get back to the gym to fully train.”
Stuff
Caption: Heavyweight working the pads with trainer Doug Viney.
Fa said he had spent his time on the sidelines studying Parker’s previous fights, looking for weaknesses and areas where he can have an advantage.
“For the past few weeks, the doctor has instructed me to take things easy, so I can’t do physical things,” he said.
“With that, I’ve been studying a lot, trying to pick up on patterns and certain things that Joe does in fights. The kind of thing you find difficult.
“I’ve been studying a lot of his losses, between (Anthony) Joshua, Dillian Whyte, patterns that he’s been showing in those fights.
“Also certain areas in the (Jason) Bergman fight as well.
“I’m going to focus on everything that is weak,” he added.
“There are many spaces where I think I can work to expose those weaknesses that I see.”
While Fa was undergoing surgery, Parker said he also underwent surgery, and decided to use the downtime to have the splinters removed from both elbows and believes he will be better for the fight in February than if it continued on December 12.
“It’s good to see Junior and his team here, it’s good to see him healthy and ready for the February 27 fight,” Parker said.
“I was ready to leave on December 12 and he should have hired me then, he was training with injuries.
“Since the fight was postponed, I took the time to have surgery on both elbows and I think that by February 27 I will be much better, stronger, faster and without injuries.”
For both boxers, it is Parker who is risking the most. The 28-year-old former heavyweight world champion could find his career hit a dead end if he loses.
Fa, who will train with Israel Adesanya for the fight, could face defeat more easily.
Parker’s manager David Higgins said the risk to his fighter is different from what he had when entering the ring against players like Alexander Dimitrenko, Anthony Joshua or White.
“I don’t want to be disrespectful, so I’ll put it like this; Junior is the underdog and that puts a lot of pressure on us and on Joseph, who is not used to being in that position, ”Higgins said.
“Joseph has been on the biggest stage and has everything to lose… The last thing we have to do is take it for granted, that’s when pride comes before the fall.
“So we respect this as a proper fight and let’s see what happens.”
