Light heavyweight contender Zach Parker is gearing up to “complete the set” outside the ring in March.

That is the month that dad-of-one Parker and his partner are expecting their second child, a boy, to arrive. Now he wants a world title shot to go with it.

England’s Parker (26-1, 18 KOs) will face Joshua Buatsi in the main event of the Queensberry Promotions show Saturday night at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena live on DAZN (7 p.m. GMT; 3 p.m. ET). He knows a victory could set him up for even more cause for celebration next year.

“The due date is March 7,” Parker said of his baby son. “We have a little girl already, so when he arrives he will complete the set. It means 2026 could be an unbelievable year for us. This is what I box for, to get in these big fights and secure my family. This is a job at the end of the day, and I want to get paid handsomely. It could be a massive year for me, but I have to beat Buatsi in this one first and then we will see what is round the corner.”

Parker, 31, is the first to admit that his run at light heavyweight has been stop-start due to injuries of his own and those to potential opponents, such as Willy Hutchinson. Those setbacks have prevented him from securing any major fights in the 175-pound division.

His final fight at super middleweight was against John Ryder in November 2022, when he was forced to retire in the fourth round due to a broken hand. Since that night he has boxed four times above the 168-pound limit and won them all.

But in London’s Buatsi (19-1, 13 KOs), he will face arguably the toughest test of his career and certainly the most high-profile opponent to date at his new weight.

“It has all been a bit up and down since the Ryder fight to be honest,” Parker told The Ring. “Obviously I had a few injuries, I did my hand in that fight for a start. Then Hutchinson pulled out of our fight on a few days’ notice. I’ve not been that active, so it was good to get the 10 rounds in against [Mickael] Diallo in my last fight, but that was February. It has been a long wait since then, but when you’re at the top end sometimes you have to wait for your chance.

“I’m not bothered about that as long as it’s a big prize at the end of the tunnel. I needed someone to sink my teeth into and they don’t get much bigger than this – headlining in Manchester. A lot of boxers would jump at the chance of headlining on a massive card at the Co-op on DAZN. This is like the one percent of boxing. So yeah, I’m really looking forward to it.”

Parker isn’t in The Ring’s top 10 at light heavyweight, while Buatsi is rated at No. 5. The man from Derby is, however, ranked at No. 3 by the WBO, so a victory on Saturday night will likely secure him a fight with Liverpool’s Callum Smith, who holds the organisation’s interim title, if not a straight shot at the full title.

“Behind Callum Smith I think it’s probably me and Buatsi at one and two overall,” Parker added. “You’ve got to be up on these rankings to set yourself up. You never know what’s around the corner and there are a lot of massive fights in the division. We know that Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev look like they will fight again, but after that it could be very open. There are a lot of British lads up there in the rankings, so it’s important to get these wins and not get left behind.

“If mandatories start getting put on Bivol, then he will have to box or vacate. So, I think there will be a lot of opportunities in the next year and that’s why there is so much on the line for me and Buatsi. Whoever wins here will go on to box for a massive title or have a massive fight with Callum Smith most likely. Whoever wins this will have a huge 2026, but the loser has to start again.”