Joseph Dennis Parker Lupesoliai La'auli was born on January 9, 1992 in New Zealand and serves as a professional boxer.
He holds the WBO heavyweight title since December 2016, previously wielding the WBO regional title in Eastern and African heavyweight.
Image via_: World Boxing News
He represented New Zealand as a rookie at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in the super heavyweight division.
He turned professional in July 2012 with Duco Events in Auckland under the tutelage of Sir Bob Jones. Subsequently, after defeating Andy Ruiz earned the WBO heavyweight title.
He is the first boxer in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands to be raised with a world championship title as a heavyweight boxer.
In December 2016 he was ranked fifth best heavyweight according to the Transnational Boxing Ranking Board record and the sixth best according to"The Ring Magazine"and"BoxRec".
Personal life
He grew up in Mangere, Auckland along with parents Dempsey and Parker. All his life has been related to boxing, his first introduction to this sport was when he was very young, about three years old.
As a child he used to play with his father by hitting his open palms, alluding to boxing.
His father always bestowed on Parker and his brothers boxing accessories and related toys
At the age of ten, he joined the"Papatoetoe Boxing Club"a boxing club, with the goal of learning more about the sport. He was trained by the excellent boxer Manny Santos.
Has two brothers. His older brother is John Parker, a professional boxer and his younger sister Elizabeth Parker.
Recently, in November 2016, she became the father of a baby named Elizabeth Ah-Sue Sala Parker, a combination of her sister's name and her mother's name.
Early career
The beginnings of his rookie career were a success. Two-time champion of the"New Zealand Amateur Heavyweight Champion"in 2010 and 2011 and also won many tournaments and accumulated several victories in the international circuit.
In 2010 he won the silver medal at the Summer Olympics, the Commonwealth Boxing Championships, was bronze in the"AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships"and gold in the"Arafura Games"among others.
Career
On July 5, 2012, in Auckland, New Zealand, Parker debuted as a professional boxer against his country's challenger Dean Garmonsway.
He was successful from the beginning of his professional career and after winning four fights in New Zealand and America, Parker decided to accept a fight against the South African Francois Botha defeating him on June 13, 2013.
After this victory against Botha, Parker extended to seven victories with a knockout in the second round against Afa Tatupu in the"Trusts Arena"of Waitakere, Auckland.
Parker secured the title of the National Boxing Federation of New Zealand with an impressive victory.
Later, in 2014 defeated the Brazilian Marcelo Luiz Nascimento after the seventh round when the referee Brad Vocale stopped the fight, decision that refuted its opponent but did not achieve the success.
He won the"Pan Asian Boxing Association"heavyweight thanks to his efforts and was also the dominant figure of it.
On July 5, 2014, he defeated 39-year-old champion Brian Minto in Auckland, New Zealand, defending his WBO Eastern American heavyweight title. Minto, seeing that he had no chance to win, threw the towel in the seventh round, leaving Joseph as the winner of his third title.
After an easy victory against American Keith Thompson in August, Parker was against Sherman Williams, from the Bahamas and 42 years old by unanimous decision. He defeated Williams in the middle of the controversy, as the Bahamas ended up asking for a re-match against Parker, assuring that he would win and that the judges decide.
Parker continued to defeat rivals and win titles such as the WBO heavyweight Latin titleholders vs. top-ranked Irineu Beato Costa Junior (2014) and Jason Pettaway (2015).
He later won the titles of the"Pan Asian Boxing Association"and"WBO Oriental heavyweight".
He fought against several other champions, among them: Wladimir Klitschko, Yakup Saglam, Bowie Tupou, Kali Meehan and the veteran Shane Cameron, thanks to their dynamic speed of hands and destructive power managed to beat them all.
He added to his record collection the"WBC Eurasia Pacific Boxing Council's heavyweight belt"and the WBA Oceania title.
Parker's next opponents were Daniel Martz and Jason Bergman. Beating Martz only took a minute 17 seconds, time in which his opponent was already head on the ground with a large right on the left side of his head.
He scored his 18th consecutive win against Jason Bergman in Samoa.
On May 21, 2016, Parker faced Carlos Takam of Cameroon, winning by unanimous decision.
Parker's team announced the fight against the Ukrainian German Alexander Dimitrenko, leaving him k.O. In the first round.
WBO Heavyweight Champion
In a bout against Mexican Andy Ruiz, Parker made history by winning the WBO heavyweight title by dictating the judges who was a majority decision winner with scores of 115-113 (2) and 114-114.
It was titled with this victory as the first world champion in the history of New Zealand.