At a time where COVID-19 has been changing our way of life across the world, we’re all having to find different ways to cope with the isolation.
Former world heavyweight champion Joseph Parker has found his own unique way.
The 28-year-old New Zealander’s reign as the WBO king was ended by Anthony Joshua in 2018 and the hard-hitting 6ft-4 Kiwi has kept fans entertained during this period of uncertainty.
Having mimicked Hugh Grant in Love Actually, Parker has now done his best John Travolta impression by acting out the iconic scene from Grease.
Parker has even used Tyson Fury and a host of other names from boxing for a lip-synch version of The Foundtions’ hit song ‘Build Me Up Buttercup’.
When one user on Twitter suggested he perform a duet with Fury, he replied: “I’ll hit him up,” followed by a smiling emoji.
The pair have always been good friends and Parker recently exclusively told talkSPORT the Gypsy King is ‘the best heavyweight of our era’.
The boxing calendar has come to a grinding halt like almsot every other professional sport in the world and that means Parker’s ambition to get back in the title shakeup will have to wait.
He has won his last three fights on the bounce, so another big fight is seemingly waiting around the corner for him.
UFC president Dana White has suggested he is going to run fights on a private island for the foreseeable future so the UFC keeps going.
It sparked the idea that maybe Eddie Hearn could do the same for boxing, but the Matchroom Boxing head honcho has rejected that notion.
KO Covid-19
The quicker we work together to stop coronavirus spreading, the sooner we can get back into the pubs, the gyms and stadiums and arenas to see live sport again…
STAY AT HOME. Only leave for the following purposes:
- to shop for basic essentials – only when you really need to
- to do one form of exercise a day – such as a run, walk or cycle, alone or with other people you live with
- for any medical need – for example, to visit a pharmacy or deliver essential supplies to a vulnerable person
- to travel to and from work – but only where this is absolutely necessary
For more info and tips, visit the NHS website.
The government has also issued further detail on what we can do during lockdown.
Everyone should do what they can to stop coronavirus spreading.
“It’s unbelievable, I’d like to think that in boxing, there’s no-one more roll your sleeves up and get on with it than me,” Hearn said.
“But even I wouldn’t consider staging an event right now. I’m not even thinking about options, not even on the radar.
“This is stubbornness. These are many of the things that make him successful but at some point you have to sit back and say ‘white flag’.
“I’m quite surprised ESPN are going ahead with this, obviously they want ratings and money.”
Tyson Fury tells talkSPORT how he is coping mentally with being in lockdown
