19 May 2015

Parker's next opponent named

6:38 am on 19 May 2015

New Zealand heavyweight boxer Joseph Parker's next opponent has been confirmed as Yakup Saglam of Germany.

Joseph Parker after winning his bout with Jason Pettaway.

Joseph Parker after winning his bout with Jason Pettaway. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

The pair will meet in Palmerston North on June 13th.

The 38-year-old Turkish born-German champion has 34 wins in 37 fights with 31 coming by way of knockout.

23-year-old Parker has a 13-0 record with 11 knockouts.

His last bout was a TKO win over American Jason Pettaway in Auckland in March.

Promoter Dean Lonergan remains convinced Parker will earn a world title shot soon, as long as he can keep winning decisively and with style.

"The two currentheavyweight champions (Wladimir Klitschko and Deontay Wilder) each fought more than 30 times before they got their world title shot" .

"Joseph's Road to the Title is far steeper but it is paying off in the world rankings."

Parker is currently ranked 8th by the World Boxing Organisation and 10th by the World Boxing Association.

A good win against 'The Scorpion' on June 13 should improve those rankings further because the 23 year old will be putting his regional WBA PABA and WBO Oriental titles on the line.

The bout will also be the first opportunity for Parker to showcase the new skills he picked up at Wladimir Klitschko training camp last month.

Only a limited amount of general admission tickets remain for the Arena Manawatu event with corporate tables selling out very quickly.

Parker and his trainer Kevin Barry will return to New Zealand from their Las Vegas base on May 30th.

Parker is also scheduled to fight in Invercargil in August.

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