Zach Parker reveals world title dream

Boxer and Derby County fan Zach Parker has revealed in an exclusive video with Derby County partner Bristol Street Motors that he is still determined to win a world title bout in his home arena of Pride Park.

The 28 year-old, who hails from Swadlincote, a town south-west of Derby, comes from a fighting family with his father, Darren, a former pro, and his two brothers, Duane and Lee, who also competed in the sport.

Parker holds a professional record of 22-0 (16 KOs) and held the super-middleweight title from 2018 to 2019, having made his debut in the pro ranks three years prior.

Growing up in the area, Parker has had a passion for both boxing and football from a young age. The video sees Parker reveal he first put on the gloves at the age of four before supporting the Rams a few years later. Sporting a classic Derby County shirt in the video, Parker reveals 18 years later how his passion for the club started.

“I started getting season tickets when I was 10 or 11 with my brother up in the Toyota stand,” said Parker. “My first match for Derby was about 12 years ago. I think it was against Aston Villa.

“He [my brother] doesn’t come up anymore, but I watch with my mates in the South stand”.

Parker recalls the start of his boxing journey in the video: “When I first got into boxing I was about four years old.

“My dad was a professional boxer, he boxed Chris Eubank and had over 200 amateur fights as well. So yeah, boxing is in the family”.

“I first started at Burton ABC (Burton Amateur Boxing Club) and then we moved from there, me and my dad, and we pretty much did it in our living room”.

Parker was scheduled to face Demetrius Andrade for the interim WBO World super-middleweight championship in front of a home crowd at Pride Park on May 21, 2022, however the event was postponed as his opponent was forced to withdraw due to a shoulder injury.

With this setback, Parker drew comparisons between his two favourite sports, stating: “Setbacks are obviously part and parcel in boxing, same as football.

“The dream is to fight here (Pride Park Stadium) and that will happen one day. You’ve just got to be patient like in any sport, and you will get where you want to get too”.

With it being over six months since his last fight, Parker concludes the video by acknowledging his expanding fanbase and his desire to fight in his beloved city as a pro.

“My fanbase is growing because of the club and hopefully we can bring some big fight nights to the city, and hopefully to Pride Park as well”.

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