I’ve seen some “kiwis” citing Bakole, on 36 hours’ notice, multiple flights, no sleep, no camp, and obese with no fitting gloves. pretty desperate. who’s he ko’d that’s remotely good? Dimitrenko? Was he even British level?
I like Parker but he has never been a big puncher. He was always a slightly above average puncher who could hurt guys with cumulative shots. I expressed concerns on this forum when he showed up at 267 lbs vs Bakole. He landed a peach of a right hand to Bakole's temple. That kind of punch might have stopped even an in shape Bakole if it landed in the same spot. Bulking up was an enormous mistake. Most natural 6'4 fighters would weigh between 220-230 lbs if they were in shape. Parker is very thickly built but even in his case, 240-245 lbs should be the maximum weight. Adding weight does not make you a bigger puncher. Yes, Parker hurt Wardley multiple times. But Wardley is durable and Parker isn't Tua. Parker's added weight slowed his foot speed down and reduced his stamina. Disastrous decision making. Parker has always had enough power to back guys up. He backed Zhang up. He knocked Chisora down when Usyk couldn't. He just isn't a knockout puncher.
It's almost as though there's two ways of winning a fight in boxing... hmmmm... What's next, a thread insinuating Usyk is no good because he wins most of his fights by points? IT'S BOXING.
Did Anthony Joshua ever KO a "live" world class opponent? Maybe once. And you could say the same about Wilder too.
The Dimitrenko KO was comical. Dimitrenko down from bodyshots and acting like they were sledge hammers to his ribs. Plenty of speculation he took a dive at the time. Full fight has just gone up on youtube actually. Round 3 is comedy gold, what a farce.
These are the best opponents Parker's fought: Takam Ruiz Hughie Joshua Whyte Chisora 1 Chisora 2 Joyce Zhang Wardley 6-4, 0 by stoppage.
