While much of the talk of Joseph Parker’s next opponent centers around Andy Ruiz visiting Auckland, Duco promoter Dean Lonergan has one eye on a fight in which the stakes could be significantly higher.
Despite the South Aucklander holding the mandatory challenge to fight Britain's Anthony Joshua for his IBF heavyweight title, the impending stripping of WBO champion Tyson Fury’s titles after positive tests for cocaine now mean his belts are likely to be also up for grabs, and Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has made it clear they’ll now be seeking a title unification bout with former champion Vladimir Klitschko.
However, rather than lodge any protest at his fighter’s rights to a shot at Joshua , Lonergan foresees a scenario where Parker could use his status to position himself as the No.1 contender in both the IBF and WBO rankings.
Ultimately, that could result in a bout against the winner of Joshua and Klitschko for the unified heavyweight championship which would place the 24-year-old atop the heavyweight world.
“Let’s just suggest Joseph Parker is the IBF number one and the WBO number one, and we are guaranteed one hundred percent of a fight against the winner of the fight inside 120 days for the unified title, we’d have to sit down as a team and say ‘we might like that fight’”, admitted Lonergan.
“If we have to sit and wait for a fight, we’ll do that.
Whether it’s via Diaz or Joshua/Klitshcko, Lonergan believes the ball is well and truly in Duco’s court.
“Joseph Parker and Duco promotions are positioned better than anyone else in the world to be a participant in this series of fights, because we’re number one in two organisations and mandatory challenger in one.
“Before March is out in 2017, Joseph Parker, one way or another, will have fought for the heavyweight championship of the world.
“No one is as well placed as we are to take advantage of the situation.”
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