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Joseph Parker faces Jack Massey next weekend.Photo\/Queensbury<\/p>\n
Joseph Parker’s 34th professional fight will also be the first in the former WBO World Heavyweight Champion’s career.<\/p>\n
Parker’s return to the ring next Sunday against Jack Massey will be the first time that one of Parker’s matches will be broadcast on free-to-air television in New Zealand, and the match will be shown on Three.<\/p>\n
In Parker’s first fight since being stopped by Joe Joyce last September, the 31-year-old will face Massey at heavyweight. The 29-year-old British boxer has achieved his 20-1 record in the cruiserweight division. The fight is the undercard for a middleweight bout between Chris Eubanks Jr. and Liam Smith at the Manchester Arena.<\/p>\n
Massey has been sparring for six rounds with Parker at a training camp hosted by WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and will be entering the fight as a known quantity. But this is a big step forward for Massey. Parker holds top ten positions in the WBO, WBC and ring heavyweight rankings.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI love Jack for stepping up to this fight,\u201d Parker said.<\/p>\n
“He’s a very skilful tough guy and has clearly backed himself up. Unfortunately, he made a big mistake. I have a point to prove, He’s bothering me.”<\/p>\n
Parker’s manager David Higgins said the move to free-to-air is a great opportunity for New Zealand sports fans to see the country’s most successful boxer while he was still in his prime.<\/p>\n
“He’s accomplished so much that it’s easy to forget that Joseph is only 31,” Higgins said.<\/p>\n