Joseph Parker Reveals the Roots of His “Great Friendship” With Tyson Fury

The 29-2 heavyweight elite, Joseph Parker, is currently on a four-fight win streak and will face Derek Chisora on May 1 to target another championship shot ahead. He could potentially see himself against ‘The Gypsy King’. The Kiwi boxer has been close to the WBC champion for years, and ahead of his return to the ring, he revealed how he became close with Tyson Fury.

Parker fought Tyson Fury’s cousin Hughie Fury in 2017 and claimed a majority decision win to become the WBO heavyweight champion. During that fight, Joseph Parker met Tyson Fury for the first time and the friendship between them began. Speaking with Matchroom boxing, the 29-year-old opened up on the same.

“We got to know each other a lot, like a while back I reckon probably in 2014 all through social media. And every time he fought, we were showing a lot of support for him. And what he was doing, and he was showing a lot of support for us,” said Parker.

He added, “When he became champion, we were very excited and happy for him. When I first met him, I was fighting his cousin Hughie in Manchester, and from there we have just had this great friendship, and he treats me like a younger brother.”

However, the pair have never shared the ring. Although Parker has been to Fury’s gym, he has never had a training camp with the undefeated champion. While Parker will look forward to maintaining his win streak this weekend, he might face Tyson Fury if he continues winning.

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Joseph Parker vs Derek Chisora – A doorway to the championship bout

If Parker vanquishes Chisora, it wouldn’t guarantee him an immediate title shot as the heavyweight roster is blooming with several mandataries from the respective organizations. So, Parker might have to aim for a title eliminator before targeting the world title shot.

That said, a win over Chisora will help him remain relevant in the fight talks and will keep him active. While Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua appear to be locked in for a unification fight, Parker can settle for another non-title fight against a big name.

Do you think Joseph Parker can be a world champion again?

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