BoxRec

Pro Record: 30-2-0 (21) as of this date
Amateur Record: 66 Bouts



Pro Debut for Parker against unheralded Dean Garmonsway (2-1-0) who would end up with a record of 3-11-0 when he retired in 2014. Parker, 20 years of age, stops him in the second round.

Unfortunately video of Parker's second fight with 0-9-1 Terry Tuteru is unavailable on YouTube or Dailymotion, but available pictures and articles show that Tuteru was incredibly overweight and Parker easily handled him dropping him four times in two rounds.



20-21-1 Richard Tutaki was up next for Parker, lasting into the third round of a scheduled six rounds. As one can see by the names Parker was at this stage strictly fighting other heavyweights from New Zealand and close by.

0-1-0 Dontay Pati unfortunately is also not on YouTube or Dailymotion but not unexpectedly Parker knocks him out in the first round.



Parker comes stateside in his next outing against 3-1-1 Brice Ritani Coe and goes the scheduled six round distance winning a decision.



The fight that would put Joseph Parker on the map internationally was his 2nd round knockout victory over veteran and former champion Frans Botha who was 48-9-3 at this point.



Next up was 9-4-0 Afa Tatupu. Yet another second round knockout win for Parker. This was for the New Zealand National Boxing Federation championship.



17-5-0 Marcelo Nascimento was up next and this was for the interim PABA championship and Parker stops him in the 7th.



39-7-0 Brian Minto last to the 7th round in this PABA & WBO Oriental championship match. Prior to this Minto had defeated Shane Cameron.



7-2-0 Keith Thompson was up next, and Parker stops him in three rounds. Parker was keeping himself busy because 2 months later he would be back in the ring again.



36-13-2 Sherman Williams was up next and Parker wins a unanimous 10 round decision. The WBO Oriental title was on the line.



Irineu Beato Costa Junior (15-1-0) would be next, and Parker would stop him in the fourth round. The PABA & WBO Oriental titles were on the line.



17-1-0 Jason Pettaway also goes down in the 4th. PABA & WBO Oriental titles were on the line.



34-3-0 Yakup Saglam becomes the next victim getting stopped in the second round. PABA & WBO Oriental titles were on the line.



25-3-0 Bowie Tupou gets stopped in the first round and Parker collects yet more belts for his resume picking up the OPBF Heavyweight title and the WBO Africa Heavyweight title.



42-5-0 Kali Meehan becomes the man who makes Joseph Parker look like a bona fide contender considering he was the one who was considered the top Pacific heavyweight in the world for a couple of years prior to this. Parker stops him in the third round.



14-2-1 Daniel Mertz get stopped in the first round. Another stay busy fight for Parker. A month later he would be back in the ring again.



25-11-2 Jason Bergman would get stopped in the 8th round. He would get dropped in the 2nd and the 7th and the 8th. From this point on Joseph Parker would be largely in world class matches.

one of the few notable teenage hws of recent years

Becoming World Class



33-2-1 Carlos Takam catapults Pacific heavyweight boxer Joseph Parker into the world rankings, as Parker wins a unanimous 12 round decision over him. This was an IBF title eliminator.



But Parker being the good man he is he had prior commitments to defend the OPBF Heavyweight & WBO Oriental titles against 24-2-2 Solomon Haumono, who Parker stops in the fourth round.



38-2-0 Alexander Dimitrenko gets stopped in the third round in this WBO Oriental title match. The only losses the Russian had prior to this was against Pulev and Chambers, and he was coming off of a six fight win streak.

Becoming a World Champion



Two unbeaten heavyweights, Andy Ruiz (29-0) who was #3 in the WBO and Joseph Parker (21-0) who was #1 in the WBO and the IBF mandatory. A somewhat controversial decision, but the three judges were neutral in terms of logistics (Argentina, Germany, Philippines) and the referee Tony Weeks was American. Parker wins the decision by scores of 115-113 (2x's) and 114-114.

Defending the Title



Originally Parker was to defend the WBO title against Hughie Fury, cousin of Tyson Fury, but he suffered a back injury so Parker had to face a last minute opponent (12 days notice) in the relatively unknown 16-2-0 Razvan Cojanu of Romania. Parker won a relatively easy unanimous decision. Cojanu was #14 according to the WBO rankings.



Parker being the good man he was, though, he made sure that 20-0-0 Hughie Fury got his title shot and even agreed to let the fight happen in Manchester which was Fury's home town. The fight was not exciting. A lot of rounds could have went either way. The most exciting thing about this match was in the pre-fight buildup when the public saw Peter Fury in a rare moment of anger cussing out Joseph Parker's manager, and of course the Fury family being upset with the verdict after the match was over. Parker won by scores of 118-118 (2x's) and 114-114.

For All the Marbles



Another battle between two unbeaten heavyweights, 20-0-0 Anthony Joshua who held the IBF and IBO titles, defeats Joseph Parker over 12 rounds in a somewhat controversial fight as the Italian referee Giuseppe Quartarone seemed bias giving Joshua all the brakes in the contest. 118-110 (2x's) and 119-109 was the score cards though many people who watched the match thought it was closer than that. Parker was now no longer champion and had to rebuild his image.

Further Problems



23-1-0 Dillian Whyte is the comeback opponent for Joseph Parker looking to get back into contention to get his revenge on Anthony Joshua. A rather exciting though sloppy fight, Parker is dropped in the 2nd and 9th rounds, but manages to drop Whyte in the 12th. He could have secured a knockout but Whyte in a desperation move pinned Parker against the ropes and held on for dear life until the bell rang. Scores of the contest were: 114-111, 113-112, and 115-110. The WBC Silver title, which Whyte held, was on the line. Parker loses and his reputation takes a tremendous hit.

Rebuilding the Image



17-1-1 Alexander Flores gets stopped in the third round, but this clearly does nothing for Parker's reputation considering the quality of opponent.



32-7-4 Alex Leapai, who had clearly seen better days in his veteran career, gets stopped in the 10th round of a scheduled 12. Considering how long in the tooth Leapai was at this stage of his career it was not a good look for Parker.



13-2-0 Shawndell Winters is stopped in the fifth and is yet another fight that did not really impress those who saw it. Parker is trying to stay busy but needs something to help boost his image.



19-0-0 Junior Fa is that something to help turn it around. With Parker's reputation taking a hit and many people writing him off another Pacific heavyweight is coming up fast and has been talking a lot of garbage about Parker. So the fight is made and ends this rivalry. Parker wins a unanimous 12 round decision and regains the WBO Oriental title he once held.

Rivalries are the Ticket



32-10-0 gatekeeper Dereck Chisora becomes the opponent for Parker and it's quite the match, as Parker is dropped in the first round but comes back to win by split decision. The WBO Intercontinental title was on the line. Some felt that Chisora was robbed, and being the good man that Parker is he gave him a return match.



This time around Parker is more aggressive and forced a count on Chisora in the 4th, drops him in the 7th, and forced a count in the 8th round. Parker wins a unanimous 12 round decision. Defense of the WBO Intercontinental title.

I remember his track to the top, when he was knocking the hell out journeymen and cans. People was expecting him to become the next David Tua in terms of fearsomeness and spectacle. Well, achievement-wise Parker became superior, he was a belt-holder and he's a legit top fighter, but he almost never fights both convincingly and spectacular at the higher level.

For me his most entertaining fight was against Whyte and he cleatly lost in my eyes. There was a controversy with a headbutt, but with what we have it's not a robbery at all. Anyway, if you're a true fighter, don't try to find excuses, fight back instead, maybe with some dirty tricks of your own. Yet Parker tuned back into the fight too late.

His most decisive win at the higher level is his recent rematch against Chisora. He won wide in my eyes, but he was so close to finishing Chisora, yet he clearly lacked the killer instinct to finish the job. Where was the fearsome KO artist of the early years?

Apart of that, he always had some struggles and never was very entertaining. Takam, Ruiz, Hughie, Fa and Chisora for the first time around - all those fights left questions to Joe.

I think Parker has enough power, but I think he has relied so much on sticking and moving that mentally it's a bit hard to get away from when you've been doing it for so long.

Plus the fact that a lot of the men he has fought at the elite level have seldom ever been stopped or never been stopped. Chisora, for example, has only been stopped three times in his 12 losses: Fury, Whyte, and Haye.

So you have to put a little bit of an asterisk next to Parker's so-called decrease in punching power. Hughie Fury? Never stopped. Andy Ruiz? Never stopped. Cojanu? Stopped 4 times, and those were after the Parker fight. Takam? Stopped 4 times, three of the four were also after Parker. Whyte? Twice stopped, once after Parker. Joshua? Stopped only once, and that was quite a bit after the Parker fight.

But I am liking his fighting style since being with Andy Lee where he is letting his hands go more often so we are bound to see more knockdowns and stoppages.

HomicideHenry wrote: ↑20 Dec 2021, 09:33 I think Parker has enough power, but I think he has relied so much on sticking and moving that mentally it's a bit hard to get away from when you've been doing it for so long.

Plus the fact that a lot of the men he has fought at the elite level have seldom ever been stopped or never been stopped. Chisora, for example, has only been stopped three times in his 12 losses: Fury, Whyte, and Haye.

So you have to put a little bit of an asterisk next to Parker's so-called decrease in punching power. Hughie Fury? Never stopped. Andy Ruiz? Never stopped. Cojanu? Stopped 4 times, and those were after the Parker fight. Takam? Stopped 4 times, three of the four were also after Parker. Whyte? Twice stopped, once after Parker. Joshua? Stopped only once, and that was quite a bit after the Parker fight.

But I am liking his fighting style since being with Andy Lee where he is letting his hands go more often so we are bound to see more knockdowns and stoppages.

I'm not even about the punching power particlarly, but more about the killer instinct. Whyte is chinny, he was ready to go later in the fight. Chisora was backed up into corners several times with hands down. Maybe there also was a stamina issue. Anyway, Parker never looks sharp against the top guys.

I've talked to Joseph Parker a few times when I used to do a podcast for boxing and what I come away with is that he is a very nice man. Maybe a bit too nice.

Not to say you have to be some sort of jerk or mean person to be a fighter, but if you ever really talk to him and things he is so kind and considerate and humble that it gives you the impression that it would take a lot to ever aggravate him or to get him upset.

I don't think he has it in him necessarily to want to ever hurt anybody. Which is an odd thing considering what business he is in but I do know that he is a fellow Christian and he is an all-around good-natured man. That being said I do believe that his Christian faith has kept him going and continuing to want to improve and get better.

Still I think it's a given that people are not going to perform as well as they did on the way up once they reach the top 10 or top 5, because it gets harder to put people away and the opportunities to look good every round gets less and less because you are in there with top level opposition.

And of course the men he fought are difficult to put away because they either have great recuperating powers (ie, Chisora) or they make you look like crap (ie, H. Fury) or they are putting you on the defensive (ie, Whyte).

Furthermore I think people forget that the man is only 29 years old. In comparison to most everyone else in the heavyweight division he is younger than AJ, Usyk, Fury, Ruiz, etc. so he certainly has more miles left on his tank than a lot of the guys out there when you really think about it.

HomicideHenry wrote: ↑20 Dec 2021, 10:16 I've talked to Joseph Parker a few times when I used to do a podcast for boxing and what I come away with is that he is a very nice man. Maybe a bit too nice.

Not to say you have to be some sort of jerk or mean person to be a fighter, but if you ever really talk to him and things he is so kind and considerate and humble that it gives you the impression that it would take a lot to ever aggravate him or to get him upset.

I don't think he has it in him necessarily to want to ever hurt anybody. Which is an odd thing considering what business he is in but I do know that he is a fellow Christian and he is an all-around good-natured man. That being said I do believe that his Christian faith has kept him going and continuing to want to improve and get better.

No good man would ever whoop the grandpa Botha like that.

HomicideHenry wrote: ↑20 Dec 2021, 10:16 Furthermore I think people forget that the man is only 29 years old. In comparison to most everyone else in the heavyweight division he is younger than AJ, Usyk, Fury, Ruiz, etc. so he certainly has more miles left on his tank than a lot of the guys out there when you really think about it.

I'm not buying it anymore. People was talking the same stuff after Ruiz, Joshua, Whyte.

Well, I'm not against Parker either. I just think, his category is 'the worst out of the best', while he's over-achieved with that belt.

Mind you I don't think the man is going to become world champion again unless the likes of Fury and Joshua and Usyk basically retire from the sport. So your comment about him being the worst of the best is kind of on the money and because he is younger than them he certainly has more time to be able to wait it out to get back into contention again.

It's kind of like other people in the heavyweight division who are on the younger side. Hughie Fury, for example. I don't think any of them guys are going to really break through until everybody decides to hang up the gloves.

Personally I would like to see Parker engage in more rematches. Call me crazy but him and Hughie might make for a more better fight this time around now that they are more aggressive than when they first met. Or even Andy Ruiz.

HomicideHenry wrote: ↑20 Dec 2021, 10:47 Mind you I don't think the man is going to become world champion again unless the likes of Fury and Joshua and Usyk basically retire from the sport. So your comment about him being the worst of the best is kind of on the money and because he is younger than them he certainly has more time to be able to wait it out to get back into contention again.

It's kind of like other people in the heavyweight division who are on the younger side. Hughie Fury, for example. I don't think any of them guys are going to really break through until everybody decides to hang up the gloves.

If other comers appear to be worse. For instance, Hrgovic is 29 too, he is rumoured to fight Parker next. Frank Sanchez seems better for me. Also there's current Olympic champion Bakhodir Jalolov. Furthermore, fighters, who emerge early, can decline early too. So, Parker's championship ambitions are highly questionable in many ways.

HomicideHenry wrote: ↑20 Dec 2021, 10:47 Personally I would like to see Parker engage in more rematches. Call me crazy but him and Hughie might make for a more better fight this time around now that they are more aggressive than when they first met. Or even Andy Ruiz.

Nah, I can't agree here. Hughie just can't be in a good fight. I'd like to see Parker against anyone, whom he didn't face. Hrgovic, Sanchez, Helenius, Ortiz, Joyce, etc.

I like the idea of Parker against Helenius, primarily because the Nordic Nightmare is just a slow moving target who just throws one punch at a time. I'm not too impressed with Sanchez personally and I think that would make for a rather boring fight. Ortiz I would like to see if he's able to get passed Charles Martin.

cojanu was brutally ko'd in 2 rounds by don dennis before fighting parker

i like the sound of joe vs hrgovic, interesting fight between a well established guy and someone with something to prove

margaret thatcher wrote: ↑21 Dec 2021, 00:11 cojanu was brutally ko'd in 2 rounds by don dennis before fighting parker

i like the sound of joe vs hrgovic, interesting fight between a well established guy and someone with something to prove

I do stand corrected he was stopped three times after facing Parker not four.

And I don't know if that's a fight I want to see or not because I'm having visions in my head of some sort of repeat of Thompson versus Price. I hate to see people be rushed too fast and I think if he fought Parker that would be the case.

Throw him in against Chisora, the official gatekeeper of the heavyweight division these days, and see how well he turns out although I'll be honest I think that might be too much of a step for him too.

parker doesnt really beat guys too convincingly though, i think hrgovics a lot better than fa and would at minimum would put up a good fight. hrg's size and strength vs parkers experience and speed, would like to see it. i dont like harping on a guy for not stepping up, only to say he shouldnt then get the chance to step up. lets see what hrg is made of and if parker can turn him back

Did he and Kubrat Pulev ever fight ?
seems like a natural match-up.

Caractacus wrote: ↑22 Dec 2021, 13:52 Did he and Kubrat Pulev ever fight ?
seems like a natural match-up.

They didn't. Sadly lots of natural matchups don't happen.