Spider bite floors Parker
Joseph Parker is out of his scheduled fight with Dereck Chisora because of an illness believed to have been caused by a spider bite.
The New Zealand heavyweight was set to fight Britain’s Chisora in London on October 27 (NZ time).
British promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed Parker’s withdrawal through illness and said he would now look for a replacement opponent for Chisora. He hoped to have one named by the end of the week.
Parker’s manager David Higgins confirmed US reports that a spider bite might be the cause of the problem, though tests would determine that.
Higgins said Parker had been ordered to rest and a doctor’s certificate had been forwarded to Hearn confirming the complications and his necessary withdrawal.
‘‘The theory is that it was a spider bite,’’ Higgins told Stuff yesterday.
‘‘Boxing is a bizarre world but I know for a fact that Joseph is not well.
‘‘He has been ordered to rest for three weeks so he can’t make October 26 unfortunately.’’
A statement from Team Parker said he was eager to reschedule the fight as soon as he’s cleared to return.
‘‘Joseph Parker has been battling a health issue at his Vegas training camp ahead of his October 26 fight. Following detailed medical assessment, doctors have confirmed that Joseph Parker is not physically able to train or fight until medical clearance is given,’’ the statement said.
‘‘The fight against Dereck Chisora continues to be one that Joseph Parker and his team want. Once medical clearance in given, Team Parker wants to have the fight promptly rescheduled.’’
The Chisora fight was to be Parker’s second in a three-fight deal with Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing.
Higgins said Hearn would clarify where Parker went from here but with Matchroom having such a busy calendar there was hope that the Kiwi could get a fight in before the end of the year, fitness permitting.
‘‘Joe is keen to get back in as soon as possible. Hopefully, we will have some good news soon.’’
The silver lining could be an opportunity to appear on the undercard to the heavyweight world title rematch between Andy Ruiz and Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia in early December.
Parker has been busy training at his Las Vegas base and was in the thick of a crucial sparring phase.
Ironically, he had entered camp in his best physical condition and trainer Kevin Barry was delighted with his fitness levels as their work continued towards what had been one of the most anticipated heavyweight fights of the year.
The frustration for Parker is that it had taken so long to get the highly anticipated clash with Chisora confirmed.
Chisora was a respected opponent who presented former WBO champion Parker an opportunity to get back in the title talk with a good win.
‘‘Boxing is a bizarre world but I know for a fact that Joseph [Parker] is not well. He has been ordered to rest for three weeks so he can’t make October 26 unfortunately.’’ David Higgins