Joseph Parker can prove himself a threat to Anthony Joshua, says Eddie Hearn
Friday 20 May 2016 12:15, UK
Eddie Hearn is relishing watching the dangerous Joseph Parker attempt to beat Carlos Takam for the right to face Anthony Joshua.
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Unbeaten New Zealander Parker (18-0-KO16) takes on the experienced Takam (33-2-1-KO25) live on Sky Sports on Saturday morning with the chance to become mandatory challenger to Joshua's IBF world heavyweight title on the line.
With Joshua (16-0-KO16) preparing to make the maiden defence of his crown against Dominic Breazeale on June 25, his promoter Eddie Hearn is intrigued as to whether Parker can rubber-stamp his credentials as a genuine threat to the Londoner's reign.
Hearn told Sky Sports: "It's a great fight. Joseph Parker is renowned around the world now with people in boxing but Takam is a serious fight. I remember talking to David Haye and David said: 'Don't put Joshua in with Takam yet!' This was two fights ago when we were looking at him.
"The guy who wins this weekend is going to be Anthony Joshua's mandatory and I think that'll be called for November 20, so all being well we'll have one more in early November and then face the mandatory. Myself and Anthony will be tuned in to Sky Sports to see who comes out victorious.
"It's a huge fight and I think his people know that we're further down the line than them but they're two young guys improving. Although they might say they want the fight ASAP, they might be happy to let it build as well.
"We might look at getting Parker out on the AJ bill in November if he's victorious but it could be Takam. This is a really top heavyweight fight and it's going to tell us a lot about Parker.
"Parker has beaten a lot of older heavyweights, guys who Joshua faced in the early part of his career and now this is the real test. We're going to find out if he's the real deal. If he beats Takam then I believe he's the real deal.
"For Joshua, the step up was Kevin Johnson, then Dillian Whyte and then Charles Martin. Some fighters have that ability to keep on stepping up, and some get to the stage where they face those guys and can't overcome that level.
"Parker is exciting, dangerous, fast and can really punch but when you've got someone of Takam's resolve, it's going to tell us all we need to know."
You can watch Joseph Parker v Carlos Takam live on Sky Sports 3 on Saturday morning from 11.00am or catch a full repeat later, from 11.30pm on Sky Sports 5.
