Former world champion Joseph Parker (31-3, 21 KOs) is set to face Faiga “Django” Opelu (15-3-2, 11 KOs) in a twelve-round showdown for the Commonwealth heavyweight title at the Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne, Australia.
Also featured on the card is a six-round clash between unbeaten junior middleweight prospects Nikita Tszyu (5-0, 4 KOs) and Benjamin Bommber (5-0, 4 KOs).
One might wonder why Parker, a top-tier ranked contender, has chosen to fight against a lower-level opponent for the Commonwealth title, instead of facing more formidable contenders at this stage of his career. It’s been five years since he lost his WBO title in 2018, and it’s possible that confidence issues are plaguing the once highly regarded heavyweight. The majority of his fights since the loss have been against lesser-known opponents, with his sole high-profile bout against Joe Joyce resulting in an 11th-round knockout defeat.
Parker’s decline in recent years is further exemplified by his inability to defeat Joyce, who was recently stopped in the sixth round by Zhilei Zhang on April 15th. Had Parker demonstrated more aggression and thrown combinations, he might have been able to conquer the slower British heavyweight. As for Opelu, he has faced notable losses in recent years, including a seventh-round knockout by Lucas “Big Daddy” Browne in 2021, a seventh-round stoppage by Justis Huni in 2020, and an earlier defeat to Christian Ndzie Tsoye (5-5-2, 4 KOs).
The match-up with Opelu appears to be yet another confidence booster for Parker, whose career trajectory has been marred by such opponents since his back-to-back losses to Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte in 2018. In those fights, Parker seemed to lack the aggression necessary to capitalize on the weaknesses of his British adversaries. Following his knockout loss to Joe Joyce in September 2022, Parker’s career appears to be spiraling downward, as evidenced by his decision to fight cruiserweight Jack Massey and now Opelu.
Main card:
▪️Joseph Parker vs. Faiga Opelu, 12 rounds, for the vacant Commonwealth heavyweight title ▪️Nikita Tszyu vs. Benjamin Bommber, 6 rounds, super welterweight ▪️Cameron Mooney vs. Tom Bellchambers, 4 rounds, heavyweight ▪️Joel Taylor vs. Ben Horn, 6 rounds, 68.5 kg, catchweight ▪️David Nyika vs. Louis Masters, 5 rounds, cruiserweight ▪️Campbell Somerville vs. Isaias Sette, 5 rounds, super welterweight
Prelims:
▪️Jayde Mitchell vs. Max Reeves, 8 rounds, 78.5 kg, catchweight ▪️Luke Gersbeck vs. Jack Moore, 5 rounds, 69 kg, catchweight
