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Watch The DAZN Boxing Show and live fights on DAZN
Much has been made about what is next for Anthony Joshua. The former two-time unified heavyweight champion has been earmarked for a sequel against three-belt titleholder Oleksandr Usyk. But with Usyk joining the Ukrainian defense battalion in his country's war with Russia, it is unknown when the bout would occur.
Fighters like Otto Wallin and Joe Joyce have said they would like to face "AJ" if the Usyk fight doesn't happen in the near future. In an interview with Behind the Gloves on Saturday, a Joseph Parker rematch was mentioned to Joshua, who was dismissive of the Kiwi, saying, "Whatever, I'll smoke him as well." It didn't take Parker long to hear the comments and have a rebuttal.
“I saw what Anthony Joshua has said. He is keen to fight me and smoke me? Come on. He couldn’t smoke me the first time," Parker told VegasInsider.com. "Back up what he’s saying then, and let’s get on with it. Then let's see who gets smoked."
Joshua and Parker met in a title unification bout in March 2018, with AJ winning by unanimous decision to claim the WBO belt in addition to retaining the WBA (Super) and IBF championships. Since then, Parker's gone 6-1, including his last two wins coming over Derek Chisora. However, Parker feels he's improved his game with a new trainer and mindset that makes him tough to beat.
"The first fight in 2018 wasn’t exciting, but it came down to us both," Parker admits. "If we had a rematch, it would be different. If not from him, definitely from me. I have been staying on track with training, practicing what Andy Lee has been teaching me, and I'm a lot more confident. Time to punch pr—s in the face and enjoy it.
Fighters like Otto Wallin and Joe Joyce have said they would like to face "AJ" if the Usyk fight doesn't happen in the near future. In an interview with Behind the Gloves on Saturday, a Joseph Parker rematch was mentioned to Joshua, who was dismissive of the Kiwi, saying, "Whatever, I'll smoke him as well." It didn't take Parker long to hear the comments and have a rebuttal.
“I saw what Anthony Joshua has said. He is keen to fight me and smoke me? Come on. He couldn’t smoke me the first time," Parker told VegasInsider.com. "Back up what he’s saying then, and let’s get on with it. Then let's see who gets smoked."
Joshua and Parker met in a title unification bout in March 2018, with AJ winning by unanimous decision to claim the WBO belt in addition to retaining the WBA (Super) and IBF championships. Since then, Parker's gone 6-1, including his last two wins coming over Derek Chisora. However, Parker feels he's improved his game with a new trainer and mindset that makes him tough to beat.
"The first fight in 2018 wasn’t exciting, but it came down to us both," Parker admits. "If we had a rematch, it would be different. If not from him, definitely from me. I have been staying on track with training, practicing what Andy Lee has been teaching me, and I'm a lot more confident. Time to punch pr—s in the face and enjoy it.
“With Andy in my corner and with the new training and newish style we have worked on, I’ll have a lot more confidence. And I only see myself improving and getting better from now on."