Reigning British champion Mickey Parker to get huge BKB world cruiserweight title shot

Mickey Parker has been handed the 'unbelievable' chance of becoming a world champion.
Mickey Parker lets out a roar after being crowned BKB British cruiserweight championMickey Parker lets out a roar after being crowned BKB British cruiserweight champion
Mickey Parker lets out a roar after being crowned BKB British cruiserweight champion

The ferocious Leigh Park bare-knuckle boxer will get his shot at gaining the BKB world cruiserweight title early next year.

Parker, 39, the reigning British champion after a brutal battle with Dave Thomas at the 02 Indigo in August, has now been offered the opportunity of recognition on the world stage.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He will be ringside next month when Bournemouth's Carl Hobley and New Yorker Eric Olsen do battle for the vacant world cruiserweight crown before facing off with the winner in either March or April next year.

Parker, who broke his ankle but still went onto claim the British title in a gruesome battle with Thomas, admitted he thought he'd reached the pinnacle after that victory and was ready to call time on his career.

But the 7-2 BKB fighter stressed he could not turn down the rare opportunity to get the chance at becoming world champion.

Parker said: ‘I said before I had the biggest opportunity of my life (fighting for the British title), well, I lied, this is the biggest (world title shot).

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘We thought we had reached the top, I thought that was the way out (British title win).

‘I’ve been off work for seven weeks with my ankle (he broke in British title win) and you begin to think what is what, what’s more important in life. There’s not that much money in bare-knuckle that you can afford not to go to work for seven weeks.

‘It’s an opportunity for myself to win a world title which is just unbelievable.’

Parker is familiar with both potential world title opponents having sparred Hobley and Olsen down the years.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

With a ringside seat for their upcoming world cruiserweight contest, he'll also have the perfect scouting position.

And Parker says he'll fancy his chances against either on what is sure to be a proud moment for Portsmouth when his big world title shot finally arrives.

Parker said: ‘To be honest, I’ve sparred both of them, I fancy my chances. But Eric and Carl would say exactly the same, they’d fancy their chances in the fight, it just bodes for a brilliant fight.

‘It’s massive. You see how the town was buzzing last week with the boxing on the pier (South Parade Pier) everything’s coming to life with the fight game in Portsmouth.

‘I’m just buzzing for the town as a whole. As soon as that came up (world title fight), my phone hasn’t stopped, the sky is the limit with numbers this time.’

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.