JOSEPH PARKER’S idiosyncratic promoter has continued his war of words while trying to negotiate a heavyweight world title unification fight with Anthony Joshua, the IBF and WBA champion.
David Higgins, representing WBO heavyweight titlist Parker, declared, “I’m getting hate mail from Joshua’s ‘brainwashed’ fans asking me how I can demand that slice of the pie for Parker. That disrespects that Joseph has been in this game for 20-something years.”
“A lot of British fans have been brainwashed into thinking Joshua is the bullet-proof unbeatable guy but he’s actually getting flattened all the time,” he claimed, speaking to ESPN. “It’s happened in numerous training camp and Wladimir Klitschko also flattened him.
“His media machine tells us he’s the next Lennox Lewis but he’s being flattened all the time and hasn’t even fought anywhere near the same standard of opposition. It’s a bubble that’s going to be burst.”
He also gave his version of the current state of negotiations to ESPN, saying, “I’m not sure who calls the shots in these negotiations, whether it’s Eddie Hearn or AJ. The demands of their camp are unreasonable and it’s very possible that it’s driven by Joshua.
“They wanted to keep all the ratios a secret but the Muhammad Ali Act aimed to make these things more transparent to prevent boxers being treated unfairly. They are trying to completely ignore the key points here.
“If Joshua doesn’t unify now, then he needs to be held to account. When the fans start complaining, let it be on record that we did everything we could to unify.”
