Lauren Parker: “Winning the European title will open doors for me, and bigger opportunities will start coming.”

Lauren Parker: “Winning the European title will open doors for me, and bigger opportunities will start coming.”

Life was good on the surface the last time I interviewed Lauren Parker towards the end of last year. The recently crowned IBO Inter-Continental super-flyweight champion was looking ahead to more titles. World titles even. But below the surface, Parker was bravely battling a lingering back injury, and in the weeks after her win over Edna Maltos last October, that lingering injury became a little more serious.

It’s been hard for Parker. On the verge of big things, the hard-earned win over Maltos brought tears of joy in the ring. It should have brought more. But instead of chasing more titles, Parker was prescribed complete rest. But after a frustrating period, which no doubt would have brought tears of a different kind, Parker is back. A European title shot is incoming, but ironically, an injury to her opponent has delayed the ring return of Lauren Parker. On a rare rest day for the fighter, Parker made time over Zoom for our interview. With her current schedule, trust me, her time is precious.

“I took about six months off, but now I’m back in the flow,” Parker told me over Zoom. “As soon as I was given the go-ahead to back sparring again, that was when I was given the opportunity to box for the European super-flyweight title. I’d literally got back into training, and I was given this opportunity to fight for the European title and to be honest, it is something that you can’t turn down. My body felt fine at the time, and I said let’s just do it and give it my best shot.

“So, I agreed, and then just 8 weeks to fight night, and obviously, it was frustrating because it then fell through. But things happen for a reason. Having the injury and then getting the fight really quickly just allows me a little more time to focus, knuckle down, and make sure my body is in a good place. It’s working out okay now. It’s been frustrating and very stressful.”

Parker and her inner circle wanted home advantage for the biggest fight of her life. Giuseppina Di Stefano and Parker will fight for the vacant European super-flyweight bauble in December. Parker and her team have secured the fight for the York Hall in London. But at a cost.

Make no mistake, the financial cost of the fight is substantial. Certainly an eye-opener for the innocent and somewhat naive fight fans who don’t understand the finer workings of a sport that often doesn’t pay its workers. They gamble in the short term, hoping that the rewards come later. It’s not been easy for Parker. A personal trainer by day and night. A fighter somewhere in the middle of the day job. And now someone who is learning on the job about the business side of the sport.

The delay to the fight was initially frustrating for Parker, but will in time, you suspect be of benefit for the fighter who will head to Bethnal Green with real hopes of crashing into the world title picture with a win over Di Stefano in a couple of months. The positives are now visible for the popular and immensely likeable Letchworth native. Ticket sales have been beyond brisk, and with additional time to prepare her mind and body, Parker is in a very good place.

“I have had an amazing amount of backing for this fight. The most I have ever for any fight. I am so blessed to anyone who has bought a ticket. So, I now think the delay is a blessing. It has allowed me more time to prepare and my mindset to be in a much better place.”

The juggling act is hard. Work, train, and then dealing with the finer details of her upcoming fight. Finding balance is even harder. Parker has to work to earn. She has to train to fight. A side of the sport few get to see.

“I’m alright. But I am not going to lie it is stressful, and it is the most stressful I have been for a fight,” Parker says. “I could really let it get on top of me, but I have got good people around me who are helping me. My coach keeps me calm, my mum manages the finances and ticket sales, and my manager Steve Goodwin believes in me and steers me in the right direction. The most important thing is to take one thing at a time. Everything works out in the end.”

A win in December could be the start of a very big year indeed for Parker. The fighter knows what a win will bring to her career.

“I’m ranked number 8 in the IBO rankings and 14th with the IBF. If I win the European title, those numbers will get better, and that will make me eligible for a world title, and that could potentially be next. I’m not really thinking about the next step. I am just focusing on getting this fight done. I would have been out of the ring for 14 months since my last fight, and it’s a long time. But obviously, the bigger picture is to fight for bigger belts. Winning the European title will open doors for me, and bigger opportunities will start coming. Those opportunities will also come at the right time. This fight will be my 10th fight, so I think it would be a good time to challenge for world titles. So provided I put in a good performance and get the win, which I believe I will, and then we move on from there.”

There are also fights on her own doorstep for Parker. The unbeaten Shannon Ryan is a possibility. But Emma Dolan, who recently retained her Commonwealth super-flyweight title, could be a very enticing double-title showdown for early next year. A fight Parker would be up for in the right circumstances.

“Emma has been very vocal about wanting to fight me and get it on. If that fight came up and it made sense, then I’ve got no problems fighting Emma Dolan. She is another fighter in the way, and sometimes you’ve got to do what you have got to do and crack on to move upwards. It would be a good fight, so why not. I’m in this sport to better myself. She has got the Commonwealth title, so it would be good to get that, but the fight has to make sense.”

Lauren Parker deserves a break. A difficult period in her life is almost over. It is a gamble in many ways in December, but you suspect it will be one that will pay off.