He who fights and run away according to Jamaican reggae legend late Bob Marley, lives to fight another day.
That appears to be the stand of defeated Joseph Parker as he left for home with his father on Monday. Parker who went all the way to the 12th round against Anthony Joshua, took to his twitter handle to reveal his departure for New Zealand but appeared to warn that he would be back for a possible re-match in future.
The 26-year-old juggernaut, sporting the remnants of his defeat in the form of a slightly bruised left eye, shared a picture on Twitter as he sat aboard his plane home alongside his father, Dempsey.
He wrote: ‘Loving the journey, we will be back soon better and stronger. See you soon New Zealand. Thank you all for the love and support #TeamParker’
The heavyweight boxer conceded the WBO world heavyweight title to Nigeria born England boxer Anthony Joshua on in Cardiff Saturday night as a unanimous points decision was needed to separate the pair.
It was far from a landslide victory as Joshua utilised his superior reach to assert his dominance from behind his jab, and Parker can head back to his homeland New Zealand with his head held high having gone 12 rounds with the division’s most dominant force.
While Parker will return home a belt lighter than when he arrived in the UK, he has maintained since the conclusion of his heavily-awaited fight with Joshua that he will be back, after admitting ‘the better man won on the night’.
Parker’s next steps are not known as of yet, but he had expressed is eagerness at a potential rematch with AJ shortly after the fight should it be accepted. He may need to get in line though.
Deontay Wilder, Dillian Whyte and even Tyson Fury are on AJ’s list of targets, with two of the three claiming they would accept an opportunity to challenge Joshua for his unified belts.
Wilder, who watched Parker’s defeat by Joshua from home last weekend, holds the WBC belt that Joshua so craves to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
The American has accepted Joshua’s challenge, according to his manager, while both parties maintain their opposition have shied away from a potential fight.
Fury, on the other hand, has not fought since he vacated two of the belts that Joshua now possesses – the WBO and WBA titles.
Whyte is also on the cards and has also expressed his interested in a showdown with Wilder after challenging him following his victory over Lucas Browne last month, but he may need to wait for Joshua to make his move before getting his wish.
With Fury, Whyte, Wilder and even Parker still lingering in the background, one thing is clear. Joshua is the man to beat.