Betting Odds Tight in Joe Joyce vs Joseph Parker Opening Line

• Joe Joyce has opened as the -166 betting favorite against Joseph Parker.
• Former WBO heavyweight champion Parker is the betting underdog for only the second time in his career at +130 odds.
• Joyce and Parker will fight on September 24th in a bout that will determine the WBO’s mandatory heavyweight title challenger.

The betting odds for the anticipated WBO heavyweight title mandatory challenger bout between Joe Joyce and Joseph Parker have gone live and according to the best boxing betting sites, it’s going to be a close fight.

Joyce has opened as the -166 favorite and Parker the slight +130 betting underdog in the September 24th bout at the AO Arena in Manchester, England:

Joe Joyce (-166)

Joseph Parker (+130)https://t.co/I4Rbf3yStl

— ProBoxingOdds (@ProBoxingOdds) August 3, 2022

The odds went live after Queensberry Promotions’ Frank Warren confirmed the booking via Twitter. Warren is Joyce’s promoter.

? Nowhere To Run! It’s On, WBO #1 v #2 ?#JoyceParker

? 24 September 2022

? @AOArena

? Via @TicketmasterUK 12PM Tuesday

? @BtSport Box Office pic.twitter.com/7t4oLAEtv7

— Frank Warren (@frankwarren_tv) August 4, 2022

Joe Joyce TKOs Christian Hammer

Joe Joyce TKOs Christian Hammer #JoyceHammer #boxing pic.twitter.com/ayV7umUpzb

— Will (@ChillemDafoe) July 2, 2022

Joyce remained unbeaten after defeating former three-time European heavyweight champion Christian Hammer last July 2nd. Joyce dropped Hammer four times in a dominant display to win the bout and retain his WBC Silver and WBO International heavyweight championships.

The 36-year-old from London, England was a gold medalist in the 2015 European Games, a bronze medalist at the 2015 World Championships, and a silver medal winner at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Known for his punching power, Joyce has knocked out the likes of Bermane Stiverne, Alexander Ustinov, Daniel Dubois, and Carlos Takam. He owns a record of 14-0 with 13 knockouts.

While Joyce opened as the betting favorite in a 15th consecutive professional boxing bout, this will be his longest odds ever. Previously, Joyce’s longest odds was when he opened at -303 odds against former interim WBA heavyweight champion Bryant Jennings. Jennings is the only fighter to go the distance with the Londoner.

Joseph Parker Beats Derek Chisora via Unanimous Decision

115-110

115-111

114-112

Joseph Parker beats Derek Chisora by unanimous decision, after a fight for the ages ?#ParkerChisora2 pic.twitter.com/oRgEzIwTj2

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) December 18, 2021

Parker defeated Derek Chisora in back-to-back fights last year. The New Zealander eked out a split decision win over Chisora in their first meeting last May 1st to win the WBO Inter-Continental heavyweight championship. Parker dropped Chisora three times en route to a unanimous decision win last December 18th.

The 30-year-old from South Auckland, New Zealand has held multiple heavyweight titles, including WBO Oriental, OPBF, and New Zealand titles. Parker won the WBO world heavyweight title by defeating Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2016. He successfully defended the title three times before losing to Anthony Joshua in a title unification bout in 2018. Overall, Parker has a record of 30-2 with 21 knockouts.

This marks only the second time in his professional boxing career that Parker has opened as the betting underdog. The other time was when he opened at +700 odds against Anthony Joshua. Parker also closed at +475 odds in that bout.