Who Would Be the Tougher Test for Anthony Joshua: David Haye or Joseph Parker?
Anthony Joshua is 16-0 as a pro. He's won every fight inside the distance, with his most recent victory securing the IBF heavyweight title.
Big (6'6" to be precise) with brutal power, the Englishman is a smiling assassin who has charmed the British boxing public. Everyone loves a knockout artist—unless you're the poor soul on the end of it.
Yet despite becoming a human wrecking ball so quickly in the paid ranks, there's still a queue of heavyweights forming to take Joshua on.
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Any rival understands that as well as winning a world title, taking on Joshua could also make you a very rich man. He is literally box office for Sky Sports, a pay-per-view star already at the age of 26.
While Dominic Breazeale is booked to face Joshua on June 25, Joseph Parker is already the next man up.
With a unanimous points victory over Carlos Takam on Saturday, Parker became the new mandatory challenger for the IBF title.
On the same day in London, David Haye continued his comeback with a second straight knockout triumph. In less than five minutes of action, Arnold Gjergjaj hit the canvas four times at the O2 Arena.
Haye has made no secret of his desire to face compatriot Joshua at some stage in the future.
After stopping Gjergjaj, the Hayemaker said, per Ben Dirs of BBC Sport: "Anthony Joshua is a fight I would relish. But next up for me is Shannon Briggs. He came over to England and talked a big game."
The Briggs fight is likely to be made for September, leaving Haye free to fight again early in 2017.
So out of Haye and Parker, who would give the unbeaten Joshua a tougher test? Bleacher Report takes a look at the two options.
The Case for Parker
At 24, Parker has time on his side.
Like Joshua, he's young, hungry and has the support of a nation behind him. And also like AJ, the New Zealander has the power to prosper. He boasts an 84 per cent KO ratio, per BoxRec.
He didn't quite manage to stop Takam on Saturday.
However, in coming through a tight 12-rounder against a durable opponent, Parker proved he has the stamina (albeit only just) and heart to go with the skills.
Working as a pundit on television, former fighter Glenn McCrory was suitably impressed by the performance. He told Sky Sports: "For 24 years of age he [Parker] answered lots of questions and I genuinely do think he's put himself in the top bracket of world heavyweight boxing.
"He's still got a lot to learn but this was his biggest test to date and he's come through this with flying colours and I do think the future looks good for Joseph Parker."
Bad Left Hook praised Parker on Twitter:
Admittedly, there were moments of concern against Takam, a tough opponent who is ranked inside the top 15 by all four major governing bodies, according to FightNews.com.
But in recording a hard-fought victory, Parker added a bigger scalp to his list of victims than any of the names on Joshua's CV.
The softly spoken Kiwi—who is 6'4" tall—has fast hands and a spiteful jab.
Against Takam, he also demonstrated a wise old head sits on his young shoulders.
As Isaac Robinson of Sky Sports pointed out: "That he didn't panic and punch himself out in pursuit of an emergency stoppage—winning instead through economical punch selection and round-pinching—proves him wise beyond his years. In a way, that's more impressive than blasting Takam aside."
The Case for Haye
While Parker could be the long-term future of the division, Haye is a blast from the past.
The Londoner has been there, done that and even bought the t-shirt (that has a picture of him holding the decapitated heads of the Klitschko brothers on the front of it).
He is a two-weight world champion. At heavyweight, he claimed the WBA title in 2009 by beating giant Russian Nikolai Valuev.
Wladimir Klitschko ended his reign less than two years later, and a shoulder injury threatened to end Haye's career in 2013.
Having been advised to retire on medical grounds, Haye told Kevin Mitchell of the Guardian: "The boxing gods keep hinting that maybe enough is enough and that it's time to finally hang up my gloves."
The thing is, he didn't officially hang up the gloves.
Now fully fit and refreshed after a lengthy break, Haye—who has trainer Shane McGuigan working his corner—is back.
So far, he's recorded two facile victories over Mark de Mori and Gjergjaj.
Flattening below-par opponents keeps Haye ticking over, as Elliot Worsell wrote for the Ring: "If anything, those knockouts are necessary only because they add to Haye’s highlight reel, allow him to gather some momentum, essentially un-retire, and because they keep his name in the running for a shot at Joshua, British boxing’s most valuable asset."
While you can doubt the validity of his recent foes, you cannot doubt Haye's pedigree.
He has stopped seasoned heavyweights Monte Barrett, John Ruiz and Dereck Chisora. His career knockout ratio stand at an impressive 87 per cent, per BoxRec.
As trainer/manager David Coldwell pointed out on Twitter, Haye still has the quality to cause anyone problems:
Forget what happened in mismatches against De Mori and Gjergjaj—Haye is merely biding his time and waiting for the right opportunity to come his way.
And The Answer Is...
It all depends on the time frame.
Right now, Haye looks the one best equipped to trouble Joshua.
He proved against the man mountain that is Valuev he can stick to a plan. As for his chin, he has not been stopped in over a decade.
Haye will know he cannot risk standing in front of Joshua and trying to fight fire with fire from the first bell. He will also know he hits hard enough to turn around any situation with just one punch.
Patience and precision would be key to his hopes of dethroning Joshua, along with a solid defensive strategy.
However, per David Anderson of the Mirror, Eddie Hearn—Joshua's promoter—warned Haye he's going to have to be patient:
"If you want the truth, Haye is not on our radar. We’ve got no plans to fight David Haye in 2016.
Anthony will fight Dominic Breazeale on June 25, then defend his title at the end of October, early November.
After that he will have his mandatory or a unification fight, which could be Tyson Fury. So Haye won’t be in the next three fights.
"
That mandatory fight Hearn talked about would be against Parker, that is unless the top-ranked challenger is willing to step aside.
According to Tim Hobbs of Sky Sports, Parker acknowledged after beating Takam that he is far from the finished article: "I still have a lot to learn. We'll celebrate this victory and then get back to the gym and train."
It seems he won't have long to wait until he's back in the ring again. Per Duncan Johnstone of Stuff.co.nz, Parker's going to face Solomon Haumono in July.
While Haye cannot afford to hang around for too long, Parker's team knows it doesn't have to rush.
A Joshua-Parker clash would pit two of the brightest prospects in the division against each other. If waiting another 18 months makes it an even bigger spectacle, then it would be the correct move for all parties.
Haye, however, is ready for a domestic clash.
He would relish the chance to not only take Joshua's belt but also end his perfect record.
Out of Haye and Parker, who could give Joshua a tougher fight? Would either option even give the reigning champion any problems? Have your say via the comments section.
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