Joseph Parker And Junior Fa Close To Reaching Deal

New Zealand heavyweights Joseph Parker (27-2, 21KO) and Junior Fa (19-0, 10KO) are edging closer to signing contracts that will see the pair face off later this year.

The two Auckland-based fighters are ranked in the WBO top ten with Parker at No. 2 and Fa at 6. Talk of a fight between the two is nothing new, but now it finally looks like progress is being made.

“We’ve been in negotiations now for six months, and that’s how long it took to put the Tua-Cameron fight together and Parker versus Joshua, so it’s nothing new in terms of that,” Parker’s manager David Higgins said speaking to the NZ Herald.

“I have to say they’re [the Fa camp] still being a touch greedy, but if we can close the gap a bit, we’ll have something to announce very shortly.

Parker, 28, last fought in February, when he stopped Shawndell Winters in the fifth round. Before that, he had clocked up routine wins over Alexander Flores and Alex Leapai, following his back to back losses in 2018 to Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte.

The former WBO Heavyweight World Champion will be a step up in quality for Fa, who, up until now, has yet to be truly tested by any of his opponents. There is history between the pair as they fought four-times in the amateurs, sharing the honors. Fa has previously spoken of his desire to fight Parker, and as he sees it, the record between the two is 4-0 in his favor.

“They were just talking down at me for a long time, but now they need me; they wouldn’t be making all this noise if they could go somewhere else and make that money. They need me, which is basically why they are making a whole bunch of noise. It’s funny how the tables have turned. I’m just like laughing I definitely know we will come to an agreement. I can’t wait to face his team,” Fa said.

“I know, and he knows that I beat him four times but like we said this happened a long time ago, can you take too much away from it? Not too much, but I know that it beats in his head that he knows that I got his number.”

The fact that Parker is New Zealand-Samoan, and Fa is New Zealand-Tongan, ensures that there will be plenty of local interest in the fight given that NZ is home to large Samoan and Tongan communities. Aside from local bragging rights, a win here would also help the victor begin building a strong case for shot at the WBO strap.

How do you think this fight will unfold?