Joseph Parker signs deal with Matchroom Boxing

Former WBO heavyweight titleholder Joseph Parker has signed a deal with Matchroom Boxing, and will return to the ring on June 29 in Providence, Rhode Island, part of the Andrade-Sulecki card on DAZN.

The New Zealand fighter, still a solid contender at heavyweight, talked about the decision to go with Matchroom.

“My six-year promotional contract with Duco Events ended on March 26,” said Parker. “It was a wonderfully successful partnership — so much so that David Higgins will always be part of my team, advocating in my best interests in a management capacity.

“Since my contract with Duco ended I have been a free agent, with my team and I spending several months assessing how to best achieve my goal of not only becoming a world champion again, but unifying all of the belts to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.”

Parker, 27, is well-known to Matchroom and UK fans, as he came over to the UK for a win over Hughie Fury in 2017, then a pair of decision losses to Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte in 2018. He most recently fought on Dec. 15, bouncing back with an easy win over Alexander Flores in New Zealand.

Parker said he looked at several options before going with Matchroom, feeling it was the best fit.

“Ultimately we decided that the best option was to partner with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing,” Parker said. “We believe the three-fight deal that we are announcing today will be the start of a long and successful partnership.”

Parker (25-2, 19 KO) is still in his prime years and still a top 10 guy in the division, and a rematch with Whyte in particular could be attractive, as he nearly rallied to pull that fight off, and dropped Whyte in a dramatic 12th round.

“If Joseph Parker performs the way we all know he can over these next three fights then he will have a strong case for some huge fights,” promoter Eddie Hearn said. “Parker is a young man with a great mix of experience and ambition, and this is a really exciting signing for Matchroom.”

Parker’s June 29 opponent will reportedly be Eric Molina (27-5, 19 KO), a former two-time title challenger who was stopped by Deontay Wilder in 2015 and Anthony Joshua in 2016. His last serious fight came in Nov. 2017, when he was stopped in eight by Dominic Breazeale. He last fought on Feb. 15, beating Nick Guivas by decision.