A slimmer version of Joseph Parker will be on display this week.

The former WBO heavyweight titlist was 239.9 pounds for his scheduled ten-round bout versus Faigo Opelu, officially weighed 214 ¾ pounds during Tuesday’s pre-fight weigh-in ceremony. The two will meet Wednesday evening atop a Main Event Pay-Per-View from Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne, Australia.

Parker will enter the fight at his lightest weight since March 2018 when he lost his WBO title to then-unbeaten, unified heavyweight titlist Anthony Joshua. He has weighed 240 pounds or more in his past eight outings and is more than five pounds lighter than his official weight for his ten-round win over Jack Massey on January 21 in Manchester, England.

Wednesday’s outing marks Parker’s first fight in the Oceania region since a February 2021 points win over countryman Junior Fa (20-2, 11KOs) in Auckland. The 31-year-old South Auckland-born heavyweight currently lives and trains in Morecambe, England, where he serves as a stablemate to lineal/WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (33-0-1, 24KOs).

Opelu (15-3-2, 11KOs) steps well up in class. The 29-year-old Samoa-born, Queensland-based heavyweight is just 2-2-1 in his last five outings, including a fluke technical draw versus countryman Kris Terzievski on March 25 in Flemington. Wedged in that mix is a fourth-round knockout of unbeaten Hemi Ahio on the undercard of the Devin Haney-George Kambosos rematch last October 16 in Melbourne.

In the co-feature, second-generation boxer Nikita Tszyu (5-0, 4KOs)—the son of Hall of Fame former junior welterweight king Kostya Tszyu—will face countryman Benjamin Bommber (5-0, 4KOs) in a scheduled six-round matchup of undefeated Australian junior middleweight prospects.

Sydney’s Tszyu was 153.9 pounds, while Melbourne’s Bommber was officially 153 ¼ pounds on his second attempt after he initially weighed 155 pounds.

The 25-year-old Tszyu turned pro just last March 3. He campaigns in the same weight division as older brother Tim Tszyu (22-0, 16KOs), the current interim WBO titlist who will defend his belt versus Mexico’s Carlos Ocampo (34-2, 22KOs) on June 18 in Broadbeach, Queensland.

Also on the show, David Nyika (5-0, 4KOs)—a 2020 Olympian for Australia—was 199 pounds for his scheduled five-round cruiserweight contest versus Louis Marsters (3-4, 2KOs), who was 199 ¼ pounds.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for krikya360.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox