Joseph Parker rejected the IBF final eliminator against Filip Hrgovic, but he was not the first to do so. Previously, Luis ‘King Kong’ Ortiz was the first to decline the fight. As a result of this, the IBF will move further down the rankings to search for an opponent for Hrgovic.
Per Team @Filip_Hrgovic, Joe Parker has also passed on the IBF eliminator for No. 1 and mandatory. #boxing
— Dan Rafael (@DanRafael1) January 5, 2022
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The IBF initially offered the fight to 42-year-old Luis Ortiz, who declined the fight for obvious reasons. Ortiz is aging and did not put up an impressive performance in his last fight against Charles Martin.
Per @SauerlandBros, Luis Ortiz rejected IBF final eliminator vs @Filip_Hrgovic. Next in rankings to be offered bout is @joeboxerparker, who has until Friday to decide. If he doesn't take it IBF continues down rankings. If you want to box for IBF title you have to go thru Hrgovic.
— Dan Rafael (@DanRafael1) January 4, 2022
All the belts in the heavyweight division rest on the shoulders of two individuals. While Tyson Fury holds the WBC and Ring Magazine belts, Oleksandr Usyk holds the IBF, WBA, WBO straps. ‘The Cat’ will defend his titles in 2022 against Anthony Joshua.
Tyson Fury, on the other hand, is still on the lookout for his next opponent to defend his WBC title while he waits for the Joshua vs Usyk rematch. Fury initially looked to fight Joshua, however, after Usyk shocked the world, it left Fury hanging in the middle with no matches to make.
Subsequently, the winner of the Joshua vs Usyk fight will look to become the ‘undisputed’ heavyweight champion by taking on Tyson Fury in a super fight. Hence, the rest of the heavyweights will just have to wait till the top dogs of the division duke it out for all the laurels.
Joseph Parker vs Derek Chisora – Results
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
In the highly awaited rematch, the New Zealand native looked to get a solid win over Chisora. The first time the pair fought, Parker won the bout via a disputed split decision win in May 2021.
Seven months later, the former WBO champion made the most of the rematch and showed the world that he is the better fighter.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Watch This Story: 5 Biggest PPV Attractions of 2021
Who do you think Parker should fight next? What did you make of Parker’s move to reject the title eliminator? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
