Promoter Eddie Hearn feels Dereck Chisora is the perfect opponent for Joseph Parker as the Kiwi looks to continue climbing up the ladder in the heavyweight division.

Parker’s career was derailed in 2018 as he suffered back-to-back defeats to British duo Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte.

The Kiwi got back to winning ways in December with a third-round stoppage victory over Alexander Flores and he impressed once again over the weekend. A 10th-round TKO triumph against Australian Alex Leapai in Rhode Island on Saturday has put him back on the right path towards a world title shot.

He was quick to call out Joshua and Whyte after seeing off Leapai as he looks to avenge the only two defeats on his CV. But Hearn feels the South Auckland-born boxer still has some obstacles to overcome before he is ready to step back into the ring with that duo.

Hearn praised his performance but believes a bout with Chisora makes most sense at this point and has talked up a potential spot on the undercard of Joshua-Andy Ruiz Jr in November.

“I thought Joe was really sharp, really good,” Hearn told IFL TV.

“I think after about three rounds, he decided the risk wasn’t worth it and coasted through the rest of the fight. “He slowed down and took his time. “We can push on from here and Parker v Chisora on the AJ undercard in November makes perfect sense.

“Loads of fights make sense – Alex Povetkin, Oleksandr Usyk, Michael Hunter… Murat Gassiev is a really good fight for him. “Loads of fights, but I really like the Chisora fight, if Derek gets through his July fight.”