'I've beaten Derek Chisora and Deontay Wilder - one was strongest opponent of my career'

Joseph Parker has a unique perspective on the sheer strength possessed by Derek Chisora and Deontay Wilder. The two boxers are set to fight it out on Saturday in what is the 50th bout of both of their professional boxing careers. Parker has shared the ring with Chisora twice, defeating him on both occasions in 2021, andonce with Wilder as he comprehensively beat the Bronze Bomber in 2023.

All three fights went the distance and featured plenty of action, especially his two fights with the Brit. In their first meeting, Parker was floored in the opening 10 seconds by Chisora before rallying in the later rounds to snatch a split decision victory. The thrilling nature of their fight saw a rematch booked for seven months later. In the second fight, which was also located at the Manchester Arena, the Kiwi dominated the action and hurt Chisora on numerous occasions as he knocked him to the canvas in the fourth, seventh and eighth rounds. The 34-year-old's stellar showing earned him a unanimous decision victory - the same result he achieved in his victory over Wilder in Saudi Arabia.

The triumph over the former WBC heavyweight champion was and remains Parker's biggest win in boxing, but it was the level of authority he showed over the American that stunned fans across the globe. Unable to hit Parker with his signature power, Wilder was outclassed by his opponent and it showed on the scorecards of 118-111, 118-110, and 120-108.

Thanks to his experience standing across from the two behemoths, Parker was certainly well-placed to answer who the stronger opponent was when asked. Prior to his defeat to Fabio Wardley in October, he told talkSPORT: "I would say Chisora was the strongest.

"He is always on your chest and doesn't leave you alone. All those little clubbing shots to the body and the head don't look like much, but they all hurt and they all add up. He is a nightmare to deal with in the ring and outside of the ring."

Losing comprehensively to Parker did nothing to harm Wilder's relationship with him. The American said: "He texted me and people don't know that me and Parker have a relationship, he texts me.

"He told me thank you for the opportunity for the fight, what a great fight and I told him congratulations bro, I hope you enjoy the win with your family.

"We never had no beef with each other, we knew each other before all of this stuff, he's such a nice man, he's such a nice person. If I would lose coming back to somebody it would be him 10 times over, a thousand times over because he's just such a nice guy."