A rematch with Dereck Chisora is firming for Joseph Parker as the New Zealand heavyweight eyes another multi-fight deal with British promoters Matchroom Boxing.
It seems Parker’s UK backers were impressed enough with his final effort on their original three-fight deal as he battled to a contentious split points decision against Chisora.
Parker’s New Zealand manager David Higgins has had a productive discussion with Matchroom Boxing CEO Frank Smith that points to a positive future.
Smith sees value in a Parker v Chisora sequel and Higgins and Parker like the feel of it too.
A potential IBF eliminatory against Croatian Filip Hrgovic for the mandatory position to challenge champion Anthony Joshua has emerged, but Higgins sees more value in another tussle with Chisora.
With the belts likely to be tied up for the best part of a year as Joshua and Tyson Fury sort out an undisputed champion, Higgins sees more sense in Parker boxing on more lucrative cards than Hrgovic presents. Fighting and winning will take care of rankings for when the right opportunity strikes.
Parker, inside the top six with three of the four major organisations, also wants a chance to put the highly debated first result against Chisora beyond doubt.
“We are looking to shape up a Chisora rematch,” Higgins confirmed to Stuff on Thursday.
“There’s a lot of water to go under the bridge, and it is boxing. But Joseph likes the rematch … he knows what he is dealing with in Chisora, and by executing his plan better he will make quicker work of him, beat him more emphatically, and clear up any doubts about it.
“Chisora is of the view that he was robbed, and he wants the opportunity for a rematch.
“The fight was good enough, close enough, and interesting enough that Matchroom and us feel it warrants another big show. That’s the bedrock of making a deal, now it’s about making the detail and the ball is in Matchroom’s court.”
There was talk of the next Parker v Chisora fight being on the undercard to Joshua v Fury in Saudi Arabia, but Higgins feels it may be better served as its own promotion in either London or Manchester.
Higgins said a potential stumbling block could be the financial demands by Chisora, which he described as “delusional”.
“I was wondering if Chisora was losing his mind like Robert Mugabe did in his last days,” Higgins said, referencing the Zimbabwe-born fighter to that country’s late leader.
In terms of snaring a new contract with Matchroom, Higgins said discussions had been promising, and he was waiting for a proposal from them that he believed would be a multi-fight deal.
Smith, one of Eddie Hearn’s key staff, told talkSPORT in the UK he expected the rematch to come next for Parker.
“Yeah, I think it will. I had a good call with David Higgins, I had about half an hour on the phone with him,” Smith said on Thursday (NZT).
“He was in a joyous mood, and we are looking to make that fight again, we’re speaking to Chisora’s team also.
“I think it’s the right fight, I think it was a close fight and I think it would be great with fans back in as well.
“So it’s something we’re working towards [for] the end of this year.”
Parker is back in Dublin, continuing his work with new trainer Andy Lee.