Tongan boxer Junior Fā (9-0) has challenged and wants to fight Sāmoan WBO Heavy Weight Champ, Joseph Parker (22-0), right away.
It may be a courageous step for Fā to push the envelope all the way to the top of the ring, due in part because he had defeated Parker twice in heavyweight title fights in the amateur ranks. But Fā may be biting off more than he could chew envisioning an easy time with Champion Parker.
The two fighters are New Zealand born, but Junior Fā, 27, is of Tongan heritage while Joseph Parker, 24, is of Sāmoan heritage. There’s a tendency for these two diverse ancestries to drag this sporting event into a Tongan vs. Sāmoan affair. This is not a bush fight of Tongan thugs meeting Sāmoan thugs. This is big money events, and the stakes are high when a reigning champion is concerned,
First, the latest joint WBO-WBC heavyweight ranking has placed Junior Fā in No. 108 with only nine fights under his belt. Additionally, Fā did not start his professional career until 2016. All of his 9-0 fights were earned this year.
Amateur Era Belongs to Fā; Parker Tops Professional Ranks
Meanwhile, Joseph Parker is No. 6 worldwide, and has been fighting since 2012 following the two fighter’s amateur career. Fā is proud of the fact that he beat Parker convincingly in the championship fights as amateurs.
In Rotorua, for the 2009 News Zealand Amateur Championship, Fā won 8-4 points. And in 2012, for the Oceania Olympics Champion, Fā won again, 11-8 points. But the two fighters took quite different routes to get here today.
Junior Fā took a sabbatical leave from boxing for four years. He’s now 27 years old, and perhaps at the top of his game. Parker continued to box wince 2012, mostly at home in New Zealand. But he has also boxed outside of New Zealand in the U.S., and one bout was held in Apia, Sāmoa.
Parker has also been signed on with Top Rank boxing promoter Bob Arum. He’s the same promoter who handled most of Mohammed Ali’s fights, Mike Tyson, Larry Holmes, and George Foreman. Previously, Duco Sports of New Zealand owned his fight rights, but they’ve teamed up with Top Rank to take Parker to the next level in his pursuit of the true heavyweight champion of the world.
(Sione A. Mokofisi is a syndicated journalist living in Tonga. He’s Editor of Niuvākai – Tonga Investigator, and Director of English, Journalism & Business Management at Tonga International Academy. His views are his own observation, and do not reflect the editorial policy of this Website. E-mail: editor_niuvakai@yahoo.com).
Photo: Junior Fa of Tonga (left) and WBO Heavy champion Joseph Parker of Samoa (right)