The highly anticipated all-Kiwi 'Fight of the Century' between Joseph Parker and Junior Fa has been rescheduled for December 12 at Auckland's Spark Arena.
The Kiwi blockbuster was initially scheduled for Friday, December 11 - 24 hours earlier - due to a potential clash with an All Blacks' Rugby Championship fixture, but a revised schedule will see the NZ campaign end in late November, so the fight has been pushed back.
Both fighters' camps haggled for more than six months, with disagreements over respective fight purses and glove brands contributing to a long negotiation period.
Duco Events promoter David Higgins says the date change will allow more people to watch the fight.
"There are lots of reasons to shift this once-in-a-generation event from Friday to Saturday night," says Higgins.
"We originally decided against Saturday, as there was a strong possibility that the show would conflict with an All Blacks test match.
"Knowing how keen all Kiwis will be to see these two great heavyweights sort our their long-standing rivalry, as well as support the All Blacks, a clash between two massive sport events was a scenario we were keen to avoid.
"This is the biggest heavyweight contest in New Zealand history and we think it has the chance to break the current New Zealand pay-per-view record."
Fa and Parker split two wins apiece in amateur ranks, but their professional careers have taken completely different routes, with Parker claiming a WBO world title and Fa's health issues stalling his progress.
Despite the setbacks, Fa has worked his way into the top 10 of WBO world rankings, sitting sixth - three spots behind Parker.
Parker last fought back in February, when he scored a technical knockout win against American Shawndell Winters in Texas.
Meanwhile, Fa earned a unanimous decision win over Devin Vargas in November to maintain his undefeated 19-0 record.
