TO paraphrase Bob Arum, yesterday BN@5 was lying but today it is telling the truth.
Scrap what was said about Team Parker condoning Dereck Chisora’s press conference outburst and instead allow Joseph Parker, the main man, to override the thoughts of his promoter, David Higgins, and bring some clarity – and much-needed decency – to proceedings.
“He (Chisora) is always full of surprises,” Parker told BBC Sport in Las Vegas. “It was the first thing I saw when I woke up on Monday morning.
“Dereck is Dereck, he can be calm or crazy. I thought as of late he was a lot calmer as a person and fighter but then again, the switch is there.
“I think there is a time and place. Of course him and I can be a main event if we were on another card. He brings a lot of support and fans, I have been fortunate in gathering a lot of fans from the UK too. But you can’t really take away from the guys at main event.
“Those two guys are undefeated and fighting to unify belts and it’s not our job to tell the promoter what to do. We have a say but ultimately accept where you are.”
Parker’s right. His fight with Chisora is a decent crossroads battle, good enough to be a main event in its own right, but not a patch on the World Boxing Super Series final between Josh Taylor and Regis Prograis. He’s right, too, to point out he and Chisora have a sizeable fanbase in the UK – larger than Taylor and Prograis – but that this doesn’t necessarily mean their non-title fight should trump a legitimate main event full of meaning and prestige.
It shouldn’t. If anything, Parker and Chisora have secured their spot on this pay-per-view solely because they are popular and relevant due to fights against other big names. They stand to make good money because of this and will be rewarded with a nice slice of a pay-per-view pie.
Parker, a shrewd man, knows this. He sounds thankful for it. He understands his worth and what he means to the heavyweight division in 2019 and isn’t about to try his luck.
And why would he? Joseph Parker, after all, has made a killing in the UK in recent years (thanks to pay-per-view headline fights against Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte) and would be a fool to get it all Twisted and ask for more.
It’s all in the name of promotion but Tyson Fury shouldn’t be messing around with Mexican bandanas and lucha libre masks ahead of his fight against Otto Wallin this Saturday (September 14) in Las Vegas.
That’s the view of Andy Ruiz Jnr who, though cognisant of the fact Fury vs. Wallin takes place on Mexican Independence weekend, isn’t happy with Fury using the angle to promote an otherwise difficult to promote fight.
A red, white and green bandana, as well as a wrestling mask, were on display at the MGM Grand during Fury’s pre-fight media workout and Ruiz, born in the USA to Mexican parents, said on Instagram: “He’s representing Mexico – he’s not even Mexican, what kind of s*** is that?
“A British f******, he ain’t even Mexican, wearing the f****** Mexican flag, messed up man.
“Stay in your lane, represent your country, Tyson Fury. Represent your country, represent what you represent.
“He just needs to stay in his lane and represent where he’s from. He shouldn’t be representing another country that he’s not even close to.”
When asked who he would like to fight next (providing he comes through a rematch against Anthony Joshua on December 7), Ruiz, the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight champion, didn’t exactly hedge his bets. “Tyson Fury’s next,” he said. “Tyson Fury’s talking s***.”
Through the intention behind wearing the bandana and mask this week was to get the Mexican fight fans on his side, it would appear Tyson Fury has irked the one Mexican capable of acting on his irritation. That’s good news for us, of course, because, in time, the needle could make for a fine heavyweight title fight.
