Joseph Parker faced a long, tedious road back to the top, but the 33-year-old is in a better place than ever, when he tries to become a two-time heavyweight champion.
Since the winner of the WBO title, almost ten years ago with the victory of points on Andym Ruiz Jr. At a teenage age of 24, Parker was on a rollercoaster traveling, who saw him moved from unification against Anthony Joshua to, at some point, at some point, the fight to save his career. On Saturday he will face Daniel Dubois for the title of IBF in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
In 2018, the defeat of Joshua and Dillian Whyte – a competition that still incensed with the Parker camp after apparent headbut – saw how he rides to order.
The fight in 2021 with the Junior FA compatriot in Auckland was settled as a clash or contract. Parker won, but with an unconvincing performance, which was far from the best, about which he and everyone knew he could reach. After the consequence, he parted with coach Kevin Barry.
Although he insists that he never lost his faith, he admits that in recent years he has asked himself tough questions about himself with a lot of soul searching.
“To tell the truth, I always believed that I could do well in boxing again, but when you have a few failures and do not go towards you, you start asking questions,” Parker told reporters before fighting Dubois.
“I have never had any doubts and I never wanted to give up, but I knew that I had to make changes and I think that I had made the change that I had now was very, very nice.”
This change was the coach of Andy Lee.
Parker, by a close friend and someone whom he calls his brother, Tyson Fury, associated with Lee. Relationships from Fury and Lee changed Parker’s career. He entered, moving to Great Britain and even living with Lee at one stage.
“I think it was a great beginning from Andy and at the beginning it was great, incurring the basics,” explains Parker. “As a warrior, when you were in the game for a while and you start learning recent things, sometimes you leave from scratch. I think that [also] It was essential to get this friendship [with Andy]. “
The Irish and Modern Zealanders are in many respects strikingly similar. Affable and effortless, both people quickly indicate how much they hit their weight much above on the global sports scene.
As for the fight, Lee and Parker are one of the best who come from their countries. No wonder that they made such a sturdy connection. “You can only learn from yourself when you are very close and although we are friends outside the ring and we like to spend time and relax … When the time has come to train and when it is time to start a job, it is very different, it is very different , – said Parker.
Lee did not avoid some home truths about Parker’s performances after two fights with Derek Chisora, claiming that his recent fee tended to turn off during rounds. However, the bond was heavily created.
The progress was then detained in his works with a mistaken defeat with Joe Joyce.
Parker and his team were stunned after the fight, in the first and only knockout of his career. He was poorly beaten and back back on the heavyweight ladder. While Parker said little about it – not wanting to justify himself – the sources said ESPN that the Modern Zelander was so ailing on the night of the fight that in retrospect the fight should probably be delayed. Regardless of this, the damage was caused.
Wins on Jacek Massey and Faiga Opelo returned to the tracks in 2023. Fury manager, Spencer Brown, then organized Parker Fight in Saudi Arabia.
Although it was a much lower amount than Parker’s ponderous caliber, he would usually like to be as busy as possible to take rankings again. It also gave him a chance to impress Turka Alalshikh, He deals with the most powerful person in the ESPN combat sport.
This is what he did with Simon Kean’s effortless knockout.
Then it was great: Deontay Wilder.
Recorded by many Parker, he produced a clinical boxing display, annuling Wilder’s threats and showing extensive experience. Wilder’s victory was a breakthrough moment and he came when almost no one believed that he could do it.
Lee passionately defended Parker at a press conference after a fight, slamming the disrespect that was shown.
“We had to endure many things. Joshua-Wilder; The contract is over, “said Lee. “We have a miniature wardrobe, we have a miniature hotel room. He is at the top of the bill, he is the main event, former world champion. It’s about Wilder-Joshua.
“This man had to endure everything with it. He didn’t fall his head, he just got stuck again. “
The victory over Zhilei Zhang, where he perfectly made the Lee game plan and survived the two charming, confirmed his position as a perilous ponderous weight.
Finally, after he was in the ponderous desert, he has his reward.
There is an argument that Parker is overlooked again this week. Dubois is rightly a favorite and although he insisted that he did not overlook Parker, the way he jumped on the ring after winning Oleksandra Usyk nad Tyson Fury and called Ukrainian suggests that he has already had one eye for the future.
But after he went through, being weaker is exactly what Parker would prefer.
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