Joseph Parker's former manager Sir Bob Jones says calling the New Zealand boxer's upcoming heavyweight title fight a world championship bout is a joke.
Joseph Parker's former manager Sir Bob Jones. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Parker's promoters Duco Events confirmed today Parker will fight American-Mexican Andy Ruiz for the WBO world heavyweight title at Vector Arena on December 10.
The fight for the WBO world title will be Parker's most imortant fight to date.
So far the 24-year-old is undefeated in his 21 fights while Ruiz, three years his senior, has won all 29 of his bouts.
The fight has been touted as New Zealand's biggest boxing event since David Tua's unsuccessful world heavyweight title fight against Lennox Lewis, but Jones disagrees.
He says it's a rort to call it a world title fight.
"You can't have seven Olympic committees running seven different Olympic games with seven different Olympic champions in every event. That's the exact situation you've got now, it's destroyed championship boxing," Jones said.
Duco Events have spent the last month trying to secure the fight in Auckland and were close to losing it to Ruiz's home country America when financial backing from the Government and Auckland Council's event's agency - ATEED, fell through.
Joseph Parker Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Duco chief executive Martin Sneddon said his company is prepared to take a financial loss in order to give Parker home-town advantage.
"There is a significant financial risk to us but there's also a risk that if we allow this opportunity to slip through our fingers and we didn't give Joseph the home advantage.
"In any sport you play the home advantage is something to be treasured and is something that statistically will tell you is so effective," Sneddon said.
The chance for this fight came about after British heavyweight, Tyson Fury, was stripped of his WBA and WBO world titles after failing to defend them against former champion - Wladimir Klitschko.
Sir Bob Jones says those two boxers should be considered world champions - not Parker, or his opponent Andy Ruiz.
"The Mexican, who's not even the best Mexican heavyweight, hasn't fought anyone in the top 50 and you're trying to tell me these two are fighting for the vacant world heavyweight title?"
Jones said he would be willing to pay no more than 15 dollars to watch the fight on Sky's pay-per-view system - the only way New Zealander's will be able to watch the fight at home, but in reality the cost will be more than 50 dollars.
Tickets for the fight go on sale later this week.
-RNZ
