The promoter of WBO heavyweight titlist Joseph Parker, David Higgins of Duco Events, announced yesterday that their side is willing to move off a 40% split demand for a potential unification bout with fellow titlist Anthony Joshua. The promoter made this announcement during a press conference where he says their side is showing ‘good faith’ in negotiating the bout.

“The deal must be open book revenue share,” Higgins said. “In good faith we have moved down from our opening 40-percent position. This demonstrates we genuinely want to unify and will put it all on the line. Our revised non-negotiable bottom line is 35 percent of net profit.”

Higgins previously said the 40% split they were demanding was also non-negotiable.

So while the promoter says he’s still in talks with Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn, he says they still have other options for fights — notably a conditional contract with Lucas Browne should the Joshua negotiations go nowhere fast.

But in a public appeal as to why Parker is deserving of a 35% split of the pie, Higgins says:

“Joshua has two of the major belts, Parker has one of the major belts. Unification happens maybe once every 10 years and has special value,” he said. “Joseph Parker is a genuine world champion and has earned the right to a fair purse and a respectable 35 percent share of an historic unification bout. Joshua has stated repeatedly he wants to unify the heavyweight division this year. If they are sincere then Eddie Hearn needs to make a fight with Parker or (American titleholder Deontay) Wilder.”

Eddie Hearn retorted by saying that Higgins’ press conference from a ‘broom cupboard’ looked like it was put together by his 8-year-old daughter and didn’t exactly prove the commercial value of Parker, although he did admit the sides were inching closer to a deal.