Why the entire sport of boxing needs Anthony Joshua to beat Joseph Parker

This Easter weekend is a big one for boxing fans, with Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker set to unify all but one of the major world heavyweight titles in Cardiff on Saturday evening.

Almost all of Britain will likely cheer AJ, the heavy favourite, to win at the Principality Stadium on the night. To be honest, the entire boxing world should be hoping Joshua does indeed emerge victorious.

I have nothing against Parker. The New Zealander is part of a wave of unbeaten champions at the maximum weight class helping to breathe new life into the division after a decade of pretty much nothing but Klitschkos.

READ MORE: Joshua v Parker – spotlight on Parker

READ MORE: Joshua v Parker – spotlight on Joshua

But if heavyweight boxing is to return to its former standing as the sport’s top box office realm, only one fight will put it over the top: Joshua vs Deontay Wilder, with two undefeated streaks and the entire range of belts on the line. In fact, given the lack of non-Mayweather financial blockbusters these days, it could be argued that the entire industry needs AJ-Wilder, not Parker-Wilder.

The winner of Saturday’s bout will surely be striving for Wilder’s WBC belt to unify the division. That’s the end game here, and no matter how much all three’s respective management have been double-talking and misdirecting on the subject, that fight will be the goal sometime towards the end of 2018.

Now, let’s imagine what would happen if Parker shocks the world and dethrones Joshua. The unification fight would be Parker vs Wilder. Parker, who hardly convinced in his last title defence vs Hughie Fury, isn’t the commercial name or the mainstream crossover that AJ is becoming. In fact, many would consider Parker no more of a scalp for the ‘Bronze Bomber’ than anyone else he’s defeated so far, and the American’s ongoing struggle to be accepted as the real deal would continue.

READ MORE: Boxing – Joshua expects Parker knockout

READ MORE: Boxing – These belts are mine – Parker confident of Joshua victory

It’s even possible that more than one of the governing bodies in charge of the four key championships required for a unification showdown – WBA, WBC, WBO, IBF – would get cold feet about the contest’s drawing power and will look to move their centrepiece elsewhere.

We’ve all seen plenty of evidence that profit is far more important to these federations than actually behaving like a governing body, and with Saturday’s winner representing three of them heading into the summer, their differing views on mandatory challengers is their tried and tested get-out, if they don’t like the idea of unifying for an underwhelming cause.

AJ vs Wilder is already drawing an early buzz, which is the main reason Eddie Hearn and Lou DiBella are swinging verbal handbags at every opportunity. It’s a main course they want to bring to the boil at the perfect time, and those shenanigans work every time when the fight is an interesting enough one.

That unification bout would also absolutely make the winner. Joshua and Wilder have the respect of many, but still find themselves searching for that unanimous vote of approval as a true heavyweight great. Unlike Parker-Wilder, there’s no excuses: the winner of Anthony vs Deontay in such a scenario would stamp their future Hall of Fame card.

It’s always been a quirk of boxing that many casual fans judge its overall success by the prestige of the heavyweight division. The truth is that boxing is, always has been and always will be as good as its last fight – but that all-important mainstream audience places greater value on greater weights. This particular chain is as strong as its biggest link, and a Joshua victory in Cardiff on Saturday will ensure boxing’s drawing power is strong for 2018 and beyond.