Parker to face former Kangaroo Haumono

Former Australian rugby league international Solomon Haumono will fight unbeaten Kiwi heavyweight Joseph Parker in Christchurch.

Solomon Haumono in Sydney

Former NRL star Solomon Haumono (pic) will fight Kiwi heavyweight Joseph Parker in Christchurch. (AAP)

Unbeaten New Zealand heavyweight Joseph Parker's next opponent is former Australian rugby league international Solomon Haumono.

Parker, 24, will put his 19-fight unbeaten record up against 40-year-old Haumono in Christchurch on July 21.

Details were announced three days after Parker became a mandatory challenger for the IBF title, having beaten Cameroon's Carlos Takam by a unanimous decision in Auckland.

Parker must keep his perfect record if he is to challenge for the world title, a fight scheduled at this stage to take place within eight months, probably in England against current IBF champion Anthony Joshua.

Haumono boasts 24 career wins, including 21 by knockout, two draws and two losses.

If he were to upset Parker, he would become the mandatory IBF challenger.

The fight is expected to be a comfortable win to Parker, whose 12-round fight against the highly-rated Takam was the most searching examination of his four-year professional career.

Auckland-born Haumono has previously accused Parker's camp of trying to avoid him.

He became a pro in 2000 and followed his Tongan father Maile's footsteps by winning the Australian heavyweight title while winning his first 15 fights.

Haumono lost a split decision to Australian Justin Whitehead in 2009 and suffered his only knockout loss in the 10th round to mid-level American Kevin Johnson in Melbourne four years later.

His last fight was a month ago, taking six rounds to knock out 44-year-old Argentine Manuel Pucheta in Brisbane.

Haumono played for four different NRL clubs in a career which yielded more than 100 games, representing Australian during the Super League war of the late 1990s.


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Source: AAP



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