Home Boxing News Joseph Parker looking forward to punching Dereck Chisora in the face

Joseph Parker looking forward to punching Dereck Chisora in the face

New Zealand heavyweight Joseph Parker.

Former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker 26-2 (20) has vowed to knockout Dereck Chisora 31-9 (22) if the pair meet later this year as expected.

Although contracts are yet to be signed, promoter Eddie Hearn is working on a date of October 26 at London’s O2 Arena.

New Zealand’s Parker, 27, left for US on Monday to begin training camp in Las Vegas with long-time trainer Kevin Barry.

Speaking to the media before he left, Parker said the bout is “nearly there”.

“It’s nearly there, but the last four or five weeks it’s been very hard to communicate with them,” Parker said.

“We are going into camp a little bit blind. I’m not so much angry, just frustrated that it has taken so long.”

Parker won the WBO title via majority decision against Andy Ruiz Jr in Auckland in December 2016 before surrendering his title belt on point to Anthony Joshua in a unification bout in Cardiff, Wales in March last year.

Ruiz Jr shocked the boxing world by dropping Joshua four times en route to a seventh-round knockout at New York’s Madison Square Garden in June.

Parker remains the only boxer to hold a victory over Ruiz Jr in the pro ranks.

The powerful Kiwi sees Chisora as his ticket back to the big time in boxing’s marquee division.

“I just want to punch Chisora in the face… he has been calling me a chicken. To be honest, as an old dog he has more experience than me, but he has more losses than me,” Parker said.

“I want to knock him out, that’s what I want to do.”

Chisora was stopped in 11 rounds by perennial contender Dillian Whyte in December at the O2 in a fight he was leading by one point on two of the judges’ scorecards at the time.

Parker lost a competitive 12-round decision to Whyte in a fight that saw both men on the canvas at the O2 in July last year.