Defeat to Joe Joyce won't spell the end of Joseph Parker's boxing career, promoter Ben Shalom asserts, as the Kiwi's future appears at a crossroads.
At Manchester's AO Arena, Parker, 30, was knocked out for the first time as a professional, with the result taking his record to 30-3.
Joyce's victory gave him the WBO's interim heavyweight title and put him on the path to challenge Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk for the outright crown.
Parker's prospects appear less bright, as he now faces a long road back to the top that could start with a rematch against Dillian Whyte, who gave Parker his second career loss in 2018.
But BOXXER chief executive Shalom, who signed Parker in June, believes the quality of the Kiwi's performance, where he stayed on his feet until the 11th of 12 rounds, will open the door for more fights against quality opponents.
"He'll get big fights now," Shalom told iFL TV. "He'll get big money, he'll get more opportunities.
"That's what the sport is about, that's why we wanted to take this fight. I think he needs to rest, but he was saying 'what have we got next?'
"He wants to fight again, he's a fighter, he wants to come again. There's some big fights for him there.
"He's proven himself to be a warrior. There's some big fights in the UK and he'll be back very soon."
Shalom also refutes the notion that Parker's third loss should mean the end of his career.
Citing Derek Chisora, whos Parker defeated twice in 2021 alone, Shalom insists boxing should look beyond a fighter's win-loss record, when determining their quality.
"I just saw Derek [Chisora], he was speaking to Joseph," Shalom told iFL TV. "He was, like, 'I've lost 12 times and I'm still here'.
"That's what boxing needs to change, it's not about losses. You can lose, still be a star and come again.
"That's where the sport needs to get to, that's what I said to Mr Parker: 'You have just given a serious account of yourself against a serious guy that can take a lot of punishment'.
"'Maybe the gameplan wasn't right, but you still went in there and showed what you're made of.'"
