JOE JOYCE has vowed to punish Joseph Parker for trying to duck out of their final world title hurdle.
On April 23, in front of 94,000 Wembley fans at Tyson Fury’s win over Dillian Whyte, the heavyweight pair shook hands on a BT Sport clash.
But the 30-year-old Kiwi then ducked out of the deal to sign with promotional rivals BOXXER and Sky Sports.
Since Parker’s new backers failed to offer him a worthwhile opponent, he is now getting sent back over enemy lines to face the 36-year-old Juggernaut on September 24 in Manchester.
WBO No1 contender Joyce roared: “This fight has been a long time in the making.
“Parker realised he had nowhere else to go and eventually had to take this fight.
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“It’s No1 vs No2. The winner goes on to fight for the world title.
“It’s going to be a cracking fight and you will see why he tried so hard to avoid me.”
Former WBO champ Parker has failed to really impress since his 2018 loss to Anthony Joshua.
But, after back-to-back wins over Derek Chisora, he reckons Tyson Fury’s assistant trainer Andy Lee is finally getting the best out of him.
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He said: “On Saturday, September 24, the fans in Manchester will see the very best of me.
“And Joe Joyce will see exactly why I will become the heavyweight champion of the world again.
“I am working hard with my trainer Andy Lee, everything is going smoothly and I truly feel great.
“I have waited patiently to get this fight on and let me tell you now, the Juggernaut’s journey ends right here.
“He has nowhere to run.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
