Did Joseph Parker's reputation go up or down last night?

I can't see him fighting Pulev, way too risky and he already has the mandatory position though I agree with others- he shouldn't rush in against AJ right now, while Parker has fought at a higher level than AJ the eye test suggests a likely AJ win if they fought right now.

I feel the failures were more about Parker himself than his team and the fight played out very much like I expected... he has known in theory what he should he doing but he hasn't been against a fighter yet who would really punish him for not being a bit more disciplined and mature with his fighting and I think the "***** to the wall" in the 8th round and also the change in flow of the fight in any of the disappointingly few times he doubled up the jab probably really stuck and gave him a reason to feel that it's the thing he needs to do as opposed to having just a voice in the ear telling him these things.

At the end of the day I think some of the bad habits were a clear sign of being green and he hadn't been fighting high enough level opponents to start shaking that stage and getting into the more mature Parker which many of us trust is on its way and is the stage where he becomes a very very serious contender. I look forward to seeing him take on these things now he really realises what it's all about and grows with it.

It certainly seems like he realises he passed a test with some very constructive criticism from Takam so I think this fight is probably the best lesson he has had since he went pro and as such we may see a fairly different fighter from now on. Unless AJ takes a risk before he defends against Parker then I think he will be in for a challenging night.

Either way, very exciting times in heavy weight!

 

Parker needs to see a surgeon and get his arms extended.

 

well said and on point :thumbsup

 

:rofl:rofl

 

Up.

 

Why? He just fought a very effective and dangerous fighter who has >80cm reach and was controlling the range well with a jab... I think if his arm length was going to be a problem it would have been evident in this fight. As with a lot of other things which can't be changed.

 

Up. While It's clear that his game still needs a lot of work and that he's not ready to fight a top5 guy yet, he showed that he can take a punch and he can deal with variety.

Comparing this to Wilder's or Hughie Fury's or many other prospects progress around the same age, he stepped up big time and past the test.

 

thumbsup:happy

 

Not sure. I think he underperformed but a win over Takam is rather good. I don't think he is as good as people anticipated but he ain't a fraud.

 

Takam's reach is listed on boxrec as being 80.5 inches. Parker's is listed as being 76inches.

You do the math.

 

Parker dominated with his jab. He usually does.

That's all you need to know about his reach.

 

Which fight are you referring to? It sure as hell wasn't the Takam fight.

 

Oh dear. A jab doesn't need to connect. It's a tool to keep distance. To get range for power punches. To keep the opposite fighter focused on the jab while opening him up. Parker had the better jab. When he was using it effectively he kept Takam quiet and also allowed himself to get out of pressure situations as Takam pressed up trying to get Parker on the ropes.

education

 

Parker spent half the half with his back against the ropes. His jab was not working.

 

It was his stamina that was not working at times.

His jab when he used it virtually always worked.