THE mysterious top-five heavyweight that Dave Allen and Eddie Hearn alluded to a matter of days ago has, in fact, been identified as Joseph Parker.
Talks are seemingly ongoing for Allen, 24-7-2 (19 KOs), to square off against the former world champion later this year, representing a far greater opportunity than he could have ever imagined.
The ‘White Rhino’ gave his rollercoaster career a facelift after dispatching Johnny Fisher, a largely unproven prospect, in devastating fashion last month.
His stunning fifth-round stoppage victory saw the 33-year-old exact his revenge after suffering a highly-contentious split decision defeat, despite flooring and then dominating his opponent, in December.
Yet now, it seems that Allen could be on the cusp of landing himself a monumental showdown against Parker, 36-3 (24 KOs), perhaps his division’s most established contender.
The New Zealander finds himself on a terrific run of form, outpointing both Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang before securing an emphatic second-round finish over Martin Bakole in February.
Since then, a possible clash between the WBO interim champion and heavyweight veteran Derek Chisora has been mooted, only for Allen to shoehorn himself into the mix several weeks later.
For Allen, though, a potential British title fight with Jeamie TKV, who lost in controversial fashion to David Adeleye last April, remains an equally viable option.
With Adeleye gearing up to face Filip Hrgovic in August, the vacant Lonsdale Belt could even work its magic – emerging as an alluring prize – on the fan-friendly operator.
But still, a far more lucrative fight with Parker would, perhaps unsurprisingly, command his attention every day of the week.
“I got a call off [Hearn] saying, ‘I think we could do TKV for the British title,” Allen said on his YouTube channel.
“That was looking like the most likely option. [But since then], we’ve been asked if we’re interested in boxing Joseph Parker. Obviously I said yes, absolutely.
“I think he’s a fantastic fighter. As much as I’d like to win the British title – and I would like to – a fight with someone of Joseph Parker’s ability and name, for a proper title, would be life-changing and life-affirming.”
