British boxing star Anthony Joshua is so confident of knocking out Joseph Parker that he’s prepared to put his own money on it.
Joshua and Parker go head to head on Saturday night in a heavyweight unification bout at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium in front of more than 80,000 spectators. Joshua will put his WBA ‘Super’, IBO and IBF titles on the line against WBO champion Parker.
Speaking at today’s final press conference, Joshua urged fight fans to place their bets on him winning by knockout. He told Sky Sports: “If I’ve got £20 in my pocket, I believe Anthony Joshua knocks Joseph Parker out for sure.
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“Parker is a champ and has done well... he will add something to my life journey. It’ll be over Sunday, and I will look back and learn from it and move forward.
“I’m looking at Parker, who’s a lively challenger. He’s a champion for a reason. If I’m victorious, then I can look at future plans. For now, my future stops on Saturday. I don’t want to lose. The fear of being defeated keeps me going. I’m preparing for a 12-round fight, which isn’t a problem to go the distance. I believe I will knock Parker out for sure.”
Joshua comes into the bout with 20 knockout victories from his 20 fights, but Parker also has an impressive history with 18 knockouts in his unbeaten 24-fight record.
The Kiwi is also in confident mood ahead of the Cardiff blockbuster. He said: “It’s great to be here. We’ve had a great build-up and a great camp. I can’t wait to put on a great display on 31 March. I’m confident, sharp and my movement is better than ever. I’m taking those belts back to New Zealand.”
Joshua vs. Parker fight guide
Ahead of Saturday’s fight night, we look at how the champions compare, TV information, predictions and betting odds.
Joshua vs. Parker: head-to-head
How do the pair match up? We look at the records...
Anthony Joshua
- Age: 28
- Height: 6ft 6in
- Fights: 20
- Won: 20
- Knockouts: 20
- Drawn: 0
- Lost: 0
Joseph Parker
- Age: 26
- Height: 6ft 4in
- Fights: 24
- Won: 24
- Knockouts: 18
- Drawn: 0
- Lost: 0
What time does Joshua vs. Parker start?
Joshua and Parker are expected to make their way to the ring at around 10.30pm on Saturday night at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
Are tickets still available?
StubHub have general sale and VIP resale tickets available, starting from £39.99 per ticket up to £695. Official hospitality packages can be bought from Sportsworld.
What is the fight schedule?
Joshua and Parker go to battle in the main event in Cardiff, but there are also a number of other fights on the undercard. Here’s the fight card according to promoters Matchroom Boxing:
- Anthony Joshua vs. Joseph Parker (world heavyweight unification)
- Alexander Povetkin vs. David Price (heavyweight)
- Ryan Burnett vs. Yonfrez Parejo (WBA world bantamweight)
- Anthony Crolla vs. Edson Ramirez (lightweight)
- Joe Cordina vs. Andy Townend (lightweight)
- Josh Kelly vs. Carlos Molina (welterweight)
- Joshua Buatsi vs. Bartlomiej Grafka (light-heavyweight)
- Sean McGoldrick vs. Ricky Little (bantamweight)
- Morgan Jones vs. Mose Auimatagi Jnr (super middleweight)
How to watch Joshua vs. Parker on TV and live stream
Sky Sports Box Office will broadcast Joshua vs. Parker live from Cardiff. For Sky customers it costs £19.95. Non-Sky customers can watch the pay-per-view event live stream online via a PC, desktop, Mac, Now TV box, iPhone, iPad, Android phone or Android tablet. Create an account and pay here.
Joshua vs. Parker predictions
David Haye, speaking to the Daily Star: “Anthony Joshua is an absolute monster of a man. Once he starts punching the face, [it] gets real pretty quick.”
Gary Cornish, speaking to Boxing News Online: “Parker’s not that big. Joshua’s power will be too much for him. I think about round four or five Joshua will stop him.”
Shenkin the Goat: the Welsh national icon “made his choice emphatically clear after eating a grape in front of a cut-out of Anthony Joshua, and then nibbling some lettuce at the foot of a round 11 card”, the Evening Standard reports.
Joshua vs. Parker betting odds
Anthony Joshua is favourite to win Saturday’s fight, but The Sun reports that the majority of punters are betting on Joseph Parker to cause an upset. Here’s the latest best prices from Oddschecker, as of 29 March.
Winner
- Anthony Joshua to win: 1/5
- Joseph Parker to win: 9/2
- Draw: 50/1
Method of victory
- Anthony Joshua by KO, TKO or disqualification: 2/5
- Anthony Joshua by decision or technical decision: 5/1
- Joseph Parker by KO, TKO or disqualification: 8/1
- Joseph Parker by decision or technical decision: 20/1
- Draw or technical draw: 40/1
Round betting odds
- Anthony Joshua to win in round one: 22/1
- Anthony Joshua to win in round 12: 33/1
- Joseph Parker to win in round one: 100/1
- Joseph Parker to win in round 12: 100/1
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