What if Anthony Joshua loses heavyweight titles to Joseph Parker?
Anthony Joshua is heavily favored to beat Joseph Parker in their heavyweight title unification bout. Upsets have happened before, so what happens if Joshua falls to Parker?
On Saturday, March 31, Anthony Joshua (20-0, 20 KOs) meets Joseph Parker (24-0, 18 KOs) with the winner taking the IBF, IBO, WBA and WBO heavyweight titles. Joshua is a heavy betting favorite, but Parker is undefeated and has more than a puncher’s chance of defeating Joshua.
Anthony Joshua is the total package in terms of physicality and skills. He’s a massive 6-foot-6 and consistently weighs around the 250-pound mark. His record is flawless, and he boasts a 100 percent knockout rating. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Joshua has victories over big names like Dillian Whyte, Dominic Breazeale and Wladimir Klitschko. Klitschko is a future boxing Hall-of-Famer, but Joshua’s win over him can be viewed in two ways.
Joshua’s win over Klitschko proved that he could take a punch and that he could win in the later rounds without fading. It also proved that he could beat elite heavyweights. Everyone knew that Joshua possesses heavy hands, and he furthered the legend of his power by knocking Klitschko down three times.
On the flipside, Joshua didn’t face Klitschko in his prime. When they fought, Klitschko was 41 years old and coming off an ugly performance in a loss to Tyson Fury. Klitschko also hadn’t fought in nearly a year and a half before stepping into the ring against Joshua.
The deck was stacked against Klitschko, and most assumed he would lose to Joshua. He shocked fans by fighting like a younger fighter who was able to survive a fifth-round knockdown and nearly knocked Joshua out in the sixth. Some think that Klitschko exposed Joshua’s defensive shortcomings and proved that he can be beaten.
The reason that Joshua’s performance against Klitschko is relevant going into his unification bout with Parker is that it showcases the one time where Joshua was seriously in jeopardy of losing. The question that remains is if a prime Parker is more of a threat than a faded Klitschko. It may be too close to call, but if Parker is more of a threat, then he has a legitimate chance of winning.
Parker is a wild card. He’s undefeated, but he has never beaten an elite heavyweight. He’s an unknown quantity, which makes him dangerous. He has some boxing ability and a decent punch, but his style isn’t overwhelmingly impressive.
If Parker wins, he will need to outbox Joshua and win by decision. That won’t be easy since he is fighting in Cardiff, Wales, which is Joshua-friendly territory. But it’s possible.
FanSided asked Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, if there is a rematch clause in their contract, but he refused to answer the question and said contractual details are confidential. That most likely means that Joshua has a rematch clause if he loses.
If Parker beats Joshua, they will probably fight again in a rematch. On the off chance that there isn’t a rematch clause, Joshua might elect to meet someone like Jarrell Miller. This would give him a glorified tuneup bout before again challenging for a title.
If Parker wins and there is no rematch clause, then he could fight Deontay Wilder for undisputed champion status. Most boxing fans desire to see a matchup between Joshua and Wilder, but Parker could disrupt the boxing world.
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Parker is a significant longshot, but there have been bigger upsets in boxing’s heavyweight division. We’ll see if he can stun the world against Joshua.