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The story between Joseph Parker and Junior Fa is impossible to ignore.
It’s the main narrative of Kiwi’s heavyweight showdown, which was finally confirmed for the Spark Arena in Auckland on Tuesday 11 December, and a big part of why the fight is moving forward.
DAVID BLANCO / THINGS
Joseph Parker and Junior Fa square off after their December fight was announced in Auckland.
The pair have been inextricably linked since splitting their four amateur bouts 2-2, before Parker embarked on a highly successful professional career and Fa eventually followed suit.
But when the two went head-to-head in Auckland to make the fight official, they both wanted to emphasize the same point: what happened in the past will have nothing to do with what happens at the end of the year.
“Junior and I have history … and I respect Junior a lot. He’s a good fighter,” Parker said.
“A lot has changed since then. We are very different fighters now and that’s what makes it exciting because amateur days are amateur days. Now we are both professionals and it’s time to see who is the best, to settle the score.”
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* Eddie Hearn’s Exciting Plans for Joseph Parker
The duo first met in 2009 and Fa’s second win over Parker halted the latter’s chances of reaching the 2012 Olympics, a loss that helped convince Parker that it was time to turn pro.
Not that Fa, who is undefeated in 19 bouts as a professional, was taking anything from that day.
“They were a long time ago,” he said. “We are both completely different fighters now and the rules have changed. This is a longer fight than we had and I am planning some tough rounds.”
Tuesday’s announcement ended months of speculation with serious discussions beginning in March.
It is the first time that two Kiwi heavyweights ranked in the top 10 in the world have fought each other and the stakes are high for both men.
David White / Stuff
Joseph Parker will be a huge favorite, but Junior Fa has the height and reach advantage.
Former WBO champion Parker (27-2) has worked his way back to No. 3 with that organization, and promoter Eddie Hearn believes a dominant performance can push him back into title contention.
And for Fa, this is hands down the biggest fight of his career and an opportunity to make a massive statement to the rest of the boxing world.
However, even he acknowledged that the opportunity came earlier than expected after the Covid-19 pandemic prevented Parker from going after higher-ranking opponents abroad.
While Parker won a world title and was in the ring with players like Anthony Joshua, Andy Ruiz Jr, and Dillian Whyte, Fa didn’t turn pro until 2016.
His record simply doesn’t compare to Parker’s, a fact the 31-year-old didn’t try to avoid. But he is more than willing to show that he belongs to the elite.
“I wanted [this fight] for a long time, but I was very honest with myself. I needed to get on, so it was a more respectable fight, “Fa said.
“Joseph Parker has fought great, great champions in his time. I haven’t really fought any household name until now, so this is why I train hard and prove to myself and everyone else that I am better than Joseph Parker. And I’ve believed it for a long time. “
That was the extent of the bravado at Tuesday’s press conference from the two fighters, who share mutual respect.
There is no bad blood and Parker said that the fact that two men from South Auckland, both of Pacific descent (Parker from Samoa and Fa from Tonga) have come together to host possibly the biggest sporting event in New Zealand this year, deserves to be celebrated. .
But all of that will be put aside when fight night comes around.
“We are both from South Auckland and sometimes South Auckland plays a bad role. But now we headline the card on December 11. said Parker, who became a social media hit during the pandemic with his music videos.
David White / Stuff
Joseph Parker and Junior Fa will meet in the ring at Spark Arena in December.
“I am very motivated to become world champion again. Even though I have been making videos at home and I have had a lot of fun and I have laughed a lot, I have been training every day. I will perform at the end of the year and progress to more fights. big. But I’m trying this fight [as if it’s] for the world championship. “
Tickets are priced at $ 69 while the fight will air on Spark Sport locally and on DAZN internationally. Kiwis will be charged $ 39.99 for an advance price that increases to $ 49.00 on October 27 and then $ 59.99 beginning December 10.
