So even Parker's team know he isn't ready

Parker does a number on that hoodlum. Sadly the sky hype has done a number on you

AJ has fought bums and he's already an ATG in your eyes. Parker has already he has all the tools to deal with anyone and isn't a cherry picker. He is born and bred to fight the best.

 

The only point the OP has made which makes a bit of sense is that Parker probably wouldn't really be in a great place to fight Joshua in November - I hope he doesn't.... largely because only weeks before fighting Joshua he'd have been through a fight against someone who'd be one of Joshua 5 best opponents had Joshua ever faced him while Joshua will be fresh from a 5 month break from the ring.

By mid October, Parkers wins in a 12 month period would be:

Kali Meehan
Daniel Martz
Jason Bergman
Carlos Takam
Solomon Haumono
Alexander Dimitrenko

Some average opposition there, but also some VERY solid opposition considering the level of activity in that time period.

Even facing David Price after such an active year a few weeks off Dimitrenko is a pretty huge asking, he REALLY needs to have a recovery then a fresh camp before facing someone like Joshua. ANYONE does. Joshua will no doubt plan to be fresh before he fights Parker too, for similar reasons.

 

parker will be ajs hardest fight

parker has flaws namely stamina and going back in straight lines

this fight i would say id 65/35 joshua favour because of size/power/home advantage/ but is it a fight parker is not ready for /cannot win /
of course parker can win only blinkered fans would not be able to see it.

 

I agree with everything you said but I still feel that the stamina issue is overstated because of one hint of it from his fight with Takam where he had both overtrained and also was just a much harder/more intense fight than a lot of people give it credit for - for both guys.

Can anyone see any hint from any one of Parker's other fights that he looks like he is gassing? Also, even in the Takam fight where he apparently was out of gas - BOTH guys were still throwing decent leather in rounds 10+.

 

the takam fight was not fought at a great pace except for 2 rounds
takam huffed and bluffed for the first 2 mins of every round throwing very little and then tried to sway the judges in the last min of the rounds. bar round 1 /8/10
parker was steady but did not go silly looking for a ko once he new the ko would not be easy.bar round 8

but the biggest danger to parker v joshua would be if he repeated what he did v takam after he threw a combination.

he went straight back /hands very low /head still /
against takam he got away with it v joshua IMO that is a ko waiting to happen.

of course team parker would have seen this and worked on it.

on the other side joshua has never been in with someone who can fire off 8 punch combos at rapid speed of parker / and if parker can get inside he will be a big danger.as joshua definatley does not have takams chin.

 

Yep agreed again. People seem to be seriously underestimating the danger Parker brings to Joshua, I'd never debate that Joshua has to be seen the favourite but Parker brings a LOT that Joshua hasn't had to deal with that could be stuff that could completely change a game.... even if it looks like everything is going nicely for Joshua.

Parker has a better chin and better speed/combos, Joshua has better reach and power, they both have moments of quite weak defense and both have shown to gas.

 

die hard fans always underestimate opponents in all sports / especially ones that are out of sight.

parker v joshua will be a good fight / its an obvious mix of styles that should gell well.
the poster who put the drivel up falls into the die hard fan catergory and not a boxing analyst.

most NZ posts i have read on esb see parker with out blinkers on which is refreshing for me after 15 years on this forum as the my fighter is a god threads come across as boring and not worth posting on.

 

We obviously want to see our boy beat Joshua haha, but putting blinkers on helps no one - sooner or later you're going to have to face reality unless you are REALLY ignorant. It's fun watching the journey of all of them and I've been keeping an eye on Joshua and Parker's courses for 3 years now, it's exciting that it looks likely to happen but it's annoying that a lot of Brit fans treat Parker like being a small bump for Joshua to roll over when the reality is they both deserve to be at the pointy end of the game and if Joshua DOES go through Parker without trouble then it's more of a massive statement of Joshua's ability than Parker's inability.

 

and i want joshua to win / but it is obvious parker is a dangerous match up for him .

trouble is a lot of fans are ignorant /jingoistic and just do not even try to analyse what an opponent brings to the table.

parker is good young fighter who does have flaws

joshua is a good young fighter who has flaws

there are many good british posters who know and understand the sport well / boxing has always
been a big uk sport/ but there are also some who cannot tell when there fighter is in deep.

 

Clearly a good bunch of people who aren't one eyed from all sides of the globe, and always a pleasure when you can have a decent discussion

On this note, Hearn indicated AJ's opponent for Nov 26th was going to be announced this week - any word on this? There will be a domino effect of fight confirmations based off whatever happens there, I've heard NOTHING about what's going on at Pulev's end and he is the ideal outcome at this stage.

 

Yep.

Both are young and look to be around long after this contest - too many carrying on like a loss is going to finish them in the sport.

 

not read anything in the english media bar kellie sauerland saying that pulev could happen in nov or next year as pulev is ranked number 2 behind mandatory parker and will see what happens.

i have no clue of purse offeres to pulev / but hearn is quite generous / whyte /martin and breazeale earned 10 times more than normal.

pulev is 35 if joshua does beat his nov opponent and his mandatory in parker in march 4th than i doubt he would have another mandatory until summer 2018 and pulev would have to sit waiting a long time biding his time .

maybe good money in euro title defenses.

as i said i do not know what they have offered pulev / but if he has been offered the fight and joshua is still in his learning stage its worth taking the risk.

i can only think that team pulev think he would earn a lot more if a joshua fight was a mandatory and the fight went to purse bids