Former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker 30-2 (21) will meet leading contender Joe ‘Juggernaut’ Joyce 14-0 (13) at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England on September 24.
The victor of the fight will have a mandate to face the winner of the rematch between Oleksandr Usyk 19-0 (13) and Anthony Joshua 24-2 (22) that will take place in Saudi Arabia on August 20.
“On Saturday September 24, the fans in Manchester will see the very best of me. And Joe Joyce will see exactly why I will become the heavyweight champion of the world again with BOXXER,” Parker said.
“I am working hard with my trainer Andy Lee, everything is going smoothly and I truly feel great. I have waited patiently to get this fight on and let me tell you now, the journey ends right here. He has nowhere to run.”
“This fight has been a long time in the making,” Joyce said. “Parker realised he had nowhere else to go and eventually had to take this fight. Number one vs number two. The winner goes on to fight for the world title. It’s going to be a cracking fight and you will see why he tried so hard to avoid me.”
“This is a fantastic fight that really keeps the heavyweight ball rolling,” said Joyce’s promoter Frank Warren. “It has proved to be a little while in the making, but this is a match between two in-form and quality heavyweights fighting to be first in the queue for a world title shot.
“It is one the fans want to see so I am delighted to be taking this blockbuster fight to Manchester, the biggest indoor arena in the country, which we want to see packed to the rafters.
“Joseph Parker is obviously a well-known and highly respected fight figure over here in the UK, both for his exploits in the ring and him working alongside Tyson Fury up in Morecambe. He also looks a greatly improved heavyweight since teaming up with Andy Lee and his defeat of Derek Chisora last time out was a comprehensive one.
“This is the perfect test of big Joe’s world championship credentials and victory over Parker would propel him into the top echelons of the division and right in the mix with the likes of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.”
BOXXER’s Ben Shalom told Sky Sports: “I think a lot was said about Joseph Parker avoiding fights and avoiding fighters, that’s never been the case with Joseph Parker. You can see that in his resume, you can see that he wants the biggest fights absolutely all the time, whatever he can get. That’s still the same.
“He wanted to sign with us. He knew that we could prioritise him in the heavyweight division and we now want the biggest fights for him. Joe Joyce is his biggest target. He’s in the number one position with the WBO and it’s a huge fight.”
