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Joseph Parker may have lost his May 6 fight with Hughie Fury, but he’s keeping the date in Auckland, New Zealand, and will face replacement opponent Razvan Cojanu.
Cojanu (16-2, 9 KO) is a 30-year-old Romanian who fights out of California. He lost his pro debut in 2011, and was also knocked out by Donovan Dennis in 2015. But he’s won three straight, though those wins are against opponents who came in with a combined record of 19-21-3. He was last in the ring in December, when he went to Hangzhou, China, to defeat Zhi Yu Wu.
In other words, Cojanu is not an actual credible title challenger, but he’s rated 14th by the WBO, so he’s eligible for a title shot, which is what it is, as they say.
Parker (22-0, 18 KO) last fought on December 10 at home in Auckland, defeating Andy Ruiz by majority decision to win the vacant WBO title, previously held by Tyson Fury.