3 May 2017

Cojanu squares off with Duco

2:14 pm on 3 May 2017

The gloves are off in the heavyweight title fight between WBO title holder Joseph Parker and contender Razvan Cojanu, with the Romanians camp unhappy with the contract arrangments for the fight.

Joseph Parker and Razvan Cojanu square off after a heated press conference.

Joseph Parker and Razvan Cojanu square off after a heated press conference. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Conjanu was a late replacement for the bout in Manukau after original challenger, British boxer Hughie Fury, withdrew due to a back injury.

Cojanu signed the contract for the fight before flying to New Zealand from Los Angeles last week but his trainer John Arthur claims another two contracts have since been presented to him.

Arthur said the issue is over a re-match clause and that it was only resolved last night.

He said in 40 years of being in the boxing business, he'd never come across anything like it.

"They want three or four rematches, what is that telling me? Is it telling me they're scared? Is Razvan that dangerous?," said Arthur.

"It's a sign of disrespect to me. I don't like games, I don't like threats," he said.

Arthur said Parker's promoters had threatened putting them back on the plane to the United States if they didn't like the changes, but Cojanu wasn't going to pass up an opportunity at a world title fight.

"I came here to fight, I came here to knock Parker out," he said.

"I'm going to give 1000 percent to win this fight, this is my chance in life. It's going to be a thousand times better fight than Parker-Fury," Cojanu said.

-RNZ