World of Sport Reporter:
With Anthony Joshua’s next opponent seemingly Joseph Parker in the spring, a fitting venue for the bout is needed. A big stadium for a unification fight is what’s needed, but an outdoor event in the UK in March or April might be risky, as the weather is unpredictable.
New Zealand is too far and cannot generate the income for such a big fight, so Parker’s promotion team Duco Events have suggested a megabout at Barcelona Nou Camp Stadium.
Negotiations for a unification bout are nearing completion and both teams are hoping to finalise a deal in the next two weeks. So, Parker’s team have been assessing possible venues that could host 80,000 plus fans in early spring, and Barcelona definitely fits the bill.
Barcelona's Nou Camp is a possible destination for the big fight in 2018
David Higgins from Duco Events said, "The reason I threw Barcelona out there, is because I know the English love to go to Spain and there will be a lot of expats in Spain. It's a short flight. That stadium is massive. They're not in need of tourists, they probably think they have too many, but if it's off the main tourist season then as an economic thing, it would stack up.”
"A lot of English would go for a week in Spain. I'm throwing it out there as a possibility, without having any discussions with them. Like I said, we have got a track record. The Jeff Horn-Manny Pacquiao fight delivered a massive economic return and was seen I think as a wise investment."
Both heavyweight champions have unbeaten records and three recognised world titles between them, and Higgins has confirmed that a rematch clause will be enforced by Joshua's team if he suffers defeat, which Higgins seems confident his man will inflict defeat on AJ.
Joshua is the man they all want to fight
"They said it was the bottom line, the rematch clause, and if Joseph had been flattened 10 times, I too would ask for a rematch clause," said Higgins.
"Joshua does have big commercial pull, so they have every right to expect a bigger share of the pie, which we are giving them, and a rematch clause. We have confidence in our guy Parker and his chin. We think he wins."
Higgins has been invited by Hearn to attend face-to-face talks in England, but is stalling on the 24hr flight to London until AJ’s team can come up with more favourable deal for Parker. After all, he is a world champion.
Higgins will agree to a deal that's more favourable for Parker
"I potentially will go to Britain, but not until I see a concession on their side," Higgins said. "Our view is we're close, we've made all the concessions so far, and I need to see some movement from their side.
"I like Eddie, I think he's good to work with, he listens and is open to a collaborative approach. He doesn't have an ego problem and he is quite funny, so I see him as a guy I can work with. If he signals a bit of room to move, then I probably will jump on a plane and brave another English winter."
It seems like a war of words has been brewing after Joshua appeared to criticise Duco Events, when he referred to Parker’s “poor PR management” in a recent interview. But Higgins is unfazed by the criticism and believes Joshua really has to step up and fight his man.
Joshua and Hearn hold all the aces
If the to camps can agree on a purse split, it seems highly likely that a fight will take place between the two. Joshua is the big draw in the division. He is the only heavyweight fighter that’s box office, he puts bums on seats. Without him, Parker would be fighting and most boxing fans wouldn’t even know, but now he will be pay per view at a venue like the Nou Camp.
It will be his biggest pay day, and so it should be too. There are rumours the AJ camp are holding out for a 65-35 split and that seems fair. Let’s hope the two teams can agree something soon and we can all look forward to a blockbuster fight in a few short months.
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