'Parker scaredest of them all'

Outspoken American boxer Deontay Wilder has labelled Joseph Parker "the scaredest of them all" as the WBC champions tries to unify the lively heavyweight division.

Unification is the catchword for 2018 after Britain's Anthony Joshua defended his WBA and IBF titles against Carlos Takam last weekend.

Parker, the WBO champion, is the third fighter in the equation and Wilder was brutal in his assessment of the Kiwi's talent and campaign.

Parker attended Wilder's last fight in February, when the American took his record to 38-0 against Gerald Washington, and spoke of his hopes of getting in the ring with him. But with Parker bogged down with a mandatory defence against Hughie Fury, the Wilder fight hasn't eventuated.

Wilder clearly isn't holding his hopes of the fight being on any time soon.

"I think it'll be easier to get Joshua than Parker," Wilder told BoxingScene.

"Parker is the scaredest of them all. He doesn’t want it.

"My thing is if you come in this thing talking about how you wanna fight the best, then please do fight the best. Y'all came to my city, talked to me for several days, talked to my people for several days, not only in person, but on the phone, for nothing. For nothing, when y'all know you didn't want me.

"You thought you did, but you came to the fight and you saw me knock this guy out like I did, and you don't want it no more."

Wilder said he would block his rivals being a ringside in future.

"I'm gonna have to stop all these champions and these top contenders from coming to my fights because when they do, they see what they thought they want is not what they really want. Their eyes play tricks on them from afar, but when they come in person it's a whole, totally different story. But sooner or later, whether Joshua gets his belt and I fight Joshua, or I get his belt and fight Joshua, either way, Parker's gonna be gone soon."

Wilder defends his belt against Bermane Stiverne in New York this weekend. Then he is desperate to get the unification process going so the sport can truly have one world heavyweight champion.

Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn says he wants to unify the division but their camp sees a fight against Parker first as the better option to build up the hype around a showdown with Wilder whom Joshua feels is a more dangerous opponent.

"There's two men that I want so bad, and it's Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker," the big-swinging Wilder told BoxingScene.

"I wanna unify the division so bad. That's my ultimate goal. I don't care about how much money it is, the buildup, this and that – that all plays a part in it. But my sole feeling is I want those belts. I wanna unify, but I don't think these guys wanna do the same thing. They talk the talk, but they don't wanna walk it.

"Especially with Joseph Parker. He came and said he wants the best and all this.

"He even came to my fight for nothing, but he really don't want that. He is no threat at all. He's not a dangerous fighter. He's at the bottom of the champions that's fighting second-tier fighters. He wanna stay out of harm's way for as long as possible, and it's sad.

"But I want both of those guys, man. I want them so bad to unify this division. That's all I wanna do is unify. And then, after that everybody can line up."

Parker is about to start a pre-Christmas training camp in Auckland with an eye to fighting early next year. Free of his mandatory, his backers are keen for Parker to get in a couple of voluntary defences before setting up a unification bout.

But Parker's promoter David Higgins says they are willing to take on Joshua in March if the right money is put on the table by Hearn. They see that as a more lucrative option than Wilder who has struggled to make ig purses in his home fights.

But Parker's trainer Kevin Barry said told Stuff earlier in the week that Wilder remained a viable option and that he could "arrange that fight tomorrow" with his connections.

 

Photo by: GETTY IMAGES (Caption: Deontay Wilder shows the power against Chris Areola that has taken the American heavyweight to a 38-0 record and the WBC title)