Joseph Parker’s career has seen a resurgence unlike any other, with wins over big names like Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang, but his career almost went a very different route.
Joseph Parker came so close to becoming a two-time heavyweight champion as he was set to face Daniel Dubois on the Dmitry Bivol vs Artur Beterbiev undercard, though with Dubois’ withdrawal came yet another chance for Parker to prove his mettle.
The New-Zealander’s win over Martin Bakole tops a recent run of good form with wins over Zhang and Wilder, all of which came after Parker rebuilt his career following a loss to Joe Joyce.
It was the fight that set up the Joyce clash, though, that saw Parker almost beaten by a British icon and gatekeeper in 2021.
Joseph Parker was scarily close to losing to Derek Chisora in their first fight
In 2021, Parker, who became the heavyweight world champion in 2016 before Anthony Joshua beat him, faced Derek Chisora, a British icon whose record is deceptive for his skill-level.
Though not world-level, Chisora has been in the ring with some of the very best fighters in the division, and posed problems for most of them. The then-32-10 fighter has had some close shaves and been on the wrong end of some poor decisions, but has faced the likes of Dillian Whyte, Tyson Fury, Vitali Klitschko, Oleksandr Usyk, Kubrat Pulev, Agit Kabayel, and David Haye. Chisora almost beat Kabayel.
Chisora, who KO’d Wilder’s trainer, and Parker fought in the Manchester Arena, with Chisora dropping Parker in the very first round.
The fight ended in a split decision win for Parker, who came shockingly close to defeat, with scorecards of 115-113 for Chisora and 115-113 and 116-111 for Parker.
Joseph Parker named Derek Chisora amongst his top five fights
Speaking to The Ring, Parker explained his best five fights and what he learnt from them.
The first name mentioned was Andy Ruiz, who Parker won the world title against in 2016: “Not everything went well in the camp, but it was my opportunity to fight for the championship of the world, and I was able to win it in a close fight […] that moment was for myself, the countries of New Zealand and Samoa, and my dad.”
He also named Zhang as a top fighter, despite having to get up off the canvas twice against him: “Zhilei Zhang is a top fighter, he’s been a great fighter for a long time […] It was great to be able to get the win and have Zhilei Zhang on my record.”
Other names mentioned include Junior Fa, who quit boxing and became a pacifist, Anthony Joshua, despite the fact he lost, and Derek Chisora.
“I had two fights with Derek Chisora, the first was very close. Derek Chisora is a hell of a fighter.”