Parker Ready to Fight Fury Despite Friendship

Joseph Parker (35-3, 23 KOs), the "interim" heavyweight champion (over 90,7 kg), maintains a friendship with WBC champion Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs), but says this won't prevent their bout if the opportunity arises.

"Fury will beat Usyk, and after that, as the WBO mandatory, I can expect a fight with Fury.

Tyson is my friend? Yes, but this fight will change our lives. I'm grateful to Fury for his constant support; he's become a brother to me.

I believe Fury is the best heavyweight, and if I get a chance to fight him after he beats Usyk, we'll talk about it and everything will be fine," Parker told iFL TV.

On March 8, on the undercard of the Anthony Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) vs. Francis Ngannou (0-2, 0 KOs) clash, a fight for the "interim" WBO heavyweight title took place between New Zealand's Joseph Parker and China's Zhang Zhilei (26-2, 21 KOs).

The bout ended in a victory for Joseph Parker by decision. The New Zealander was knocked down twice during the fight.

Parker has stated that he plans to have a rematch against Zhang Zhilei.

The fight for the undisputed heavyweight world championship between Tyson Fury and the holder of the WBO, WBA, IBO, and IBF titles, Oleksandr Usyk, is scheduled for May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.