Dylan Wright Set For Rematch With John Parker ' I can go up like hell of a lot of levels'
cover image credit @csn.nz @kuronokombat
Boxing returns in a big way to Tāmaki Makaurau on Friday night, with the undefeated light heavyweight Jerome Pampellone moving up to cruiserweight to face Nik Charalampous in a six-round clash under the dome at the Auckland Museum. The event is being held by Podis and is being presented by Culture Kings.
However, while Pampellone-Charalampous will generate plenty of headlines, fight fans will also want to pay close attention to the light heavyweight matchup between Dylan Wright and John Parker.
The six-round bout is a rematch following the pair's first meeting at CTP Boxing's Worlds Collide on May 7. The four-round fight was a see-saw affair, with both men landing heavy shots and keeping the crowd on edge.
At the final bell, Parker walked away with a majority decision win. However, the close nature of the contest meant both parties were open to running it back. Wright especially is looking forward to mixing it up again with Parker.
"I can go up like hell of a lot of levels. It's boxing where your biggest opponent is yourself, and that's kind of what happened there was; I beat myself, " Wright says.
"I held myself back a bit. I thought too much about him instead of me and what I can do."
In one of his best performances to date, the 27-year-old, now in his second year of training under Isaac Peach, put on a memorable show for the crowd the last time he fought at a Podis event, defeating Jerome Pascua via unanimous decision.
He is looking forward to being back inside the squared circle on a major Sky Sports card.
"It is always exciting when you get a chance to show your talents and who you are on a big screen and getting the opportunity to prove who I am as a fighter. I'm no pub brawler or anything like that. I feel like I'm a pretty skilled fighter. I like having the opportunity to keep showing that."
After competing as an amateur boxer for several years, Wright stepped away from the sport to spend time with his father, who had sadly become ill with cancer.
"For me, my family is like a big reason why I fight. To get myself out of a hard life, I want to buy my parents the best things I can," Wright explains.
"So when he passed away, I guess part of that motivation, the fire was gone, and I changed a lot as a person too, just from seeing what he had to go through. Like it changed me a lot as a fighter. I still had the skill and everything like that, but mentally, I wasn't really aggressive or anything like that anymore."
Wright's return to boxing saw him head straight into the pro ranks, and after several fights, he decided to start training at Peach Boxing.
"When I came back to boxing, I went straight to pro. The gym that I first started with, they stopped boxing. So I had to find a new coach, and he was a good trainer. He is pretty smart but didn't have the resources. So I was walking into the fights with no sparring, basically, no top sparring," Wright says.
"So I was never really, fully prepared, that's why joining Peach, you know, you got all that talent around me. So I knew competing with them. I know what level I need to be."
One of the main reasons the rematch between Wright and Parker is taking place so soon is because Nick Randell, the engine behind Podis, was eager to play host to the bout. Randell watched the pair's first encounter and, being a boxing fan himself, was eager to see the two men face off against one another.
Parker was set to face Pampellone in the main event of this week's fight night but pulled after, saying he needed more time to prepare. In Wright, the undefeated Parker is facing arguably the toughest test of his career, and this week's fight should provide a perfect gauge of where both men sit in the New Zealand boxing landscape.
"We obviously had no plans to make this fight before last weekend. However, I thought it was that close, it warranted a rematch, but it needed to be over six rounds. It was a competitive fight and could've gone either way. Dylan's record doesn't do him any justice. He's a solid fighter and will be coming to win the rematch. Dylan has nothing to lose and everything to gain, which makes him dangerous., " Randell says.
"It was a call to Joe Parker and Isaac Peach. Peach Boxing will fight anyone, anywhere, and I rate that. They really want to stop John and believe Dylan can do it. The fight also made sense for Team Parker. John won a very close decision, with one judge having it a draw. With Joe in his corner on the night, John needs to make a statement on Sky Sport against Jerome Pampellone's stablemate. Anything less from him then the Jerome fight won't make sense. "
Friday’s Fight Night will air live on Sky Sport 3 starting at 7:30.