Over the last month, we have learned that Joseph Parker will return to the ring after eight months of absence.

Originally, it seemed that Mariusz Wach (36 - 6 - 0) was going to be Joseph Parker’s next opponent. We soon found out that he will actually face Shawndell Terell Winters (13 - 2 - 0) instead.

Ever since the announcement, I have been asked by multiple people my thoughts on this match-up. Below I give three reasons why this fight is the right fight for Parker:

Shawndell Terell Winters is a ranked boxer

Not only does he hold the WBA - NABA Heavyweight title, but Shawndell is also currently ranked 14th in the WBA and 48th on Boxrec. Six of the fights he has won were against boxers with decent records and most of his wins were by knockout.

It makes sense that Parker’s comeback is against a top 15-ranked boxer. Even though Parker is already ranked 2nd in WBO, 8th in WBC, and 12^th in IBF, he isn’t ranked in WBA. A win over Winters could change this and get him ranked in the WBA.

Parker might have some ring rust

Joseph Parker could have the best training in the world and the best sparring partners in the world, but there is always a chance that he will be a bit rusty, especially since his last three years were his least active years.

As such, a fight against someone like Shawndell Terell Winters – who is ranked – is better than a higher-ranked boxer like Alexander Povetkin, Adam Kownacki, or Oscar Rivas.

Think of it as a warm-up fight while also being against a better opponent then Alexander Flores or Alex Leapai. In saying that, Alexander Flores’ win over Mario Heredia late last year got him a big Boxrec rankings boost (from top 120 to top 50).

With a potential WBO World title fight looming (if Anthony Joshua vacates the WBO title) then this could be a good warm-up fight for Parker on the way to a potential world title fight.

To make a statement

Eddie Hearn put this fight together on the Mikey Garcia vs Jessie Vargas undercard so that Joseph Parker could make a statement. Joseph Parker, has two fights left in his fight contract with Eddie Hearn, including this one.

If Joseph Parker wants to sign with Eddie for another contract he needs to win, be entertaining, and win in style. And when I say win in style, I mean in a better way than in his win against Alex Leapai.

The list of potential opponents for Joseph Parker that New Zealand would love to see in 2020 is long, including: Junior Fa, Hemi Ahio, Andy Ruiz, Lucas Browne, Oleksandr Usyk, Alexander Povetkin, Dereck Chisora, Demsey McKean, Luis Ortiz, and Dillian Whyte.