Joseph Parker Publicly Seeks Sequel Against Andy Ruiz Jr: “I Think I Can Definitely Stop Him”

By: Hans Themistode

It was a long and painful fall for former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker. At one time, the young New Zealander proudly kept his world title and successfully defended it against all who came. However, after successive defeats at the hands of both Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte – Parker began to scramble for answers.

After that, the 30-year-old took to the drawing board and came back as a new man. As a result, the proud New Zealander has gone on to win six in a row and now finds himself well on his way to another world championship chance.

With championship glory within reach, Parker revealed that he recently approached his longtime rival, Andy Ruiz Jr. Although their contest was extremely close, it was Parker who came out with the decisive majority victory.

Given that Ruiz Jr is a hit in the weight class, Parker would love the opportunity to run things again.

“It was a close fight, the first fight with Andy,” Parker said in an interview with Behind The Gloves. “I want to make that fight. My manager David Higgins has attempted to contact management or his advertising team. We haven’t received a response yet but I even texted Andy himself and said ‘hey, it’d be great if we could have a rematch.’ He said he would keep that in mind.”

Ruiz Jr., 31, has seen his standing in the pugilistic sport change dramatically since his first meeting with Parker. The Mexican-born together won three matches before facing off against former unified heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua in 2019. Although Ruiz Jr was considered a sizable underdog, he came in. New York’s Madison Square Garden and continues to violently rip. Joshua’s heavyweight titles through the seventh round.

Although his reign as a champion was fleeting, Ruiz Jr has devoted himself to the sport of boxing with the help of Eddy Reynoso and weightlifting star, Canelo Alvarez. During the first trip of Ruiz Jr. since dropping his heavyweight titles, he’s edged out competitor Chris Arreola.

Despite the ups and downs of his career, Parker still applauds Ruiz Jr.’s achievements. However, if a sequel between the pair can be held, Parker not only believes he will win again, but this time, he will do so in a brutal way.

Parker admitted: “He’s done a lot since we first fought. “I’ve been doing pretty well since the first time we fought. I thought it would be a great combination, but I took a step back to take care of the business. He is very durable and very tough. He has that Mexican style and that Mexican style that is confident in himself but at heavyweight one punch can change everything. If I throw a good punch, I think I can definitely stop him.”