Joseph Parker vs. Carlos Takam RBR.

I rate Whyte, a lot don't so it's going to be up to Whyte go and do something, he's just signed with Matchroom so I'm sure they will build Whyte properly and get him the right fights now.

 

Fury, Klit, Povetkin, Wilder, Joshua, Ortiz, Haye would beat Parker.
Parker would beat Pulev, Browne, Teper, Scott, Glazkov, Martin, Stiverne

That's his level at the moment. He's on the level of Jennings and Takam.

 

Just watched fight. Parker looked sloppy and I'm a fan of his. Maybe nerves with the step up in competition. Takam is a good fighter better than Stiverne. I need to see more of Whyte to really assess his ability. While Parker looked sloppy he showed some good intangibles like coping with a pressure fighter and being able to fight while exhausted. Good fight.

 

100% agreed!

Poor fight by Parker but i think that was to be expected from such a big step up in opposition.

Good to see he dealt well with certain things he hasn't faced before.

Stamina, returning of his hands, bring back his footwork and making sure he doesn't stand so tall while going backwards all need work.

Great to see a competitive fight like that for a young prospect with a very game fighter!

 

All things considered it was a good victory.

Takam, despite doing very little at times, did not come to lose. Disappointment was etched into his face after the decision. The plan was probably to drown Parker as the fight went on which looked like it might become a reality on more than one occasion, but the Kiwi kept it together.

It's a common gripe for fans to say one man "needed to throw more" but of course you need to be careful of what's coming back. Carlos tucked up well (and needed to) when Parker unloaded in the 8th.

There is still a ragged quality about Parker - cuffing shots and poor defence. Those can be worked on but it was his lack of awareness that was concerning with that chin hanging out to dry. Him and Kevin need to re-watch and correct. Their original plan of attacking the body went out of the window. Nerves? The physical strength of Takam? Pacing? It was probably a number of reasons.

In the wake of this it'll be easy for fans to imagine Joshua lining Parker up for keeps, but it's important to stay grounded. This was a big jump in class, one Joshua hasn't taken yet.

 

How dare you come on this forum and leave a well educated post with a neutral stand point. Get an agenda to love or hate Parker or get out

Good post man. Great to read! I whole heartedly agree.
Great to see such a test for Joe. I was really frustrated to see the body work go out the window. As I believe Joe is the best body puncher in the division at this point in time.

I think the nerves kicked in and he didn't want to leave himself exposed more than he needed to. Even though he left himself very open when going backwards, by standing so straight and so tall.

 

As big a challenge as a top contender could ask for first time out and he came through, he will learn alot from that fight

 

Just watched the fight now.

I agree with everything Whyte said after the fight.

This was a huge step up for Parker and it was an very credible victory over a tough rated contender.

But after round 4 Parker seemed spent, if Takam has another gear he could have stopped Parker imo.

Positives though, Parker showed another dimension boxing on the back foot, he showed heart and determination in the rounds he was tagged and tagged hard. He showed discipline as well.

Very good step up, but his stamina is a bit of a question for me.

 

I haven't seen the fight yet (missed it how could I forget this?) -- but definitely will watch! Seems it was a barn burner.

 

I watched it in poor quality but had it as a win to Takam or a draw. He had great ring generalship with Parker retreating often during the fight. He also did a great job of deflecting or partially blocking incoming attacks. He also landed plenty of power shots throughout the fight after clumsy attacks by Parker.

 

This is very accurate, the 116-112 scores just gave Parker every benefit of the doubt, which was expected but not fair to Takam.

 

Just watched it, Parker keeps his hands low, suicide against Joshua but his hand speed and combos are nice and he can fight off the back foot!

Rounds 1, 5, 8 (close), 9, 12 (close) - Takam
Rounds 2, 3, 4 (close), 6, 10, 11 (almost even) - Parker
Even - 7

Parker wins 6-5-1 for me.

 

It wasn't a barnburner but it was rather close and Parker looked nowhere near as impressive as expected.

 

Fights like this are extremely valuable, and Parker was matched perfectly. You want the step up to be enough that flaws get exposed that wouldn't against lesser fighters, and that's what they got here.

Now, the real work begins. I don't think they'll fall victim to hubris and buy into not needing to grow simply because he gritted out the win here.

 

Just watched the first 6 rounds. Parker (and his fans) seems to learn that theres a big difference between boxing a 45 year old Frans Botha or 50 year old Kali Meehan and a legtit top 10 HW contender in his prime.

Also Parker's stamina seems terrible. He gassed basically after 33% of the fight!

But as Rock0052 correctly points now. Now they know the flaws, and if Parker and his team have just a slightly above average IQ they now know what to work on.