By Liam Napier

As usual, it all boils down to money. Cash is king in the boxing business.

A fight between Joseph Parker and newly-crowned Australian heavyweight champion Lucas Browne makes sense on a number of levels. The obvious one being the old adage you clean up your backyard first.

Parker (18-0) v Browne (24-0) would be a mega fight in this part of the world. The trans-Tasman barbs have long been fired between the two, with Parker's youth and hand speed swinging the potential match-up in his favour. 

Joseph Parker, in action here in Samoa, is unlikely to face Australian champion Lucas Browne anytime soon.

This week alone claims emerged from Parker's camp – albeit from the PR department – that the Kiwi champion would humiliate Browne following his upset win over Ruslan Chagaev (34-3-1) to secure the WBA regular title, one of three crowns the diluted organisation boasts.

"We all laughed reading those comments," Browne's manger Matt Clark said. "We've just come from Chechnya."

Don't expect Parker and Browne to meet anytime soon, though. Efforts to make the fight previously failed with Parker's camp claiming Browne balked at a six-figure offer. Clark says Parker's promoters, Duco Events, couldn't meet their demands.

"They asked us to give them a figure. We did and they couldn't match it," Clark said, declining to disclose the requested purse. "Put it this way it'll be less than what Lucas will be getting paid for his next fight."

For now Parker and Browne, Australia's first heavyweight champ, are heading in different directions.  

Parker is scheduled to meet Cameroon veteran Carlos Takam (33-2-1) in May while Browne is obligated to make his first defence against Puerto Rican Fres Oquendo (37-8), probably within the next three to four months.

If Parker beats Takam – easily the most difficult assignment of his career – then as mandatory No 1 challenger he's likely to face the winner of Anthony Joshua and Charles Martin, who contest the IBF title on April 10.

"That's a helluva tough fight but credit to him I hope he gets through Takam," Clark said. "He's going the IBF route and we're in the WBA. I've got no doubt we'll meet at some stage."

After carefully crafting his record over the past seven years, Browne is clearly keen to cash in.

"We're obligated to fight Oquendo next and unless something dramatically changes there that's all we're considering," Clark said.

"It will all come down to business after that. If someone like David Haye or Anthony Joshua in the UK, where Lucas has got a big name because he's fought four times, and it makes more money then that's the way we will go.

"That's not to rule the Parker fight out. If it makes business sense then Lucas will fight Joe Parker no problems. We just beat Ruslan Chagaev who lost twice in the past decade in Chechnya so we've got no problems going to New Zealand. 

"Without a shadow of a doubt it would be a massive fight in this part of the world. I've got no doubt at some stage it will happen. It just depends on when and under what conditions.

"If we get a shot at Tyson Fury then that makes more sense than Joe Parker any day of the week.

"It's definitely an exciting time in the heavyweight division. Klitschko losing in my opinion is the best thing for the division. It's opened it right up. There's plenty of fights to be made for exciting fighters like Lucas, Joe and David Haye. They're all big punchers with plenty of guts rather than the effective but boring jab-and-grab style Klitschko employed so well."