By Bryce Wilson

BoxingScene caught up with WBO heavyweight champion just as he was winding down the first week of training camp in preparation for his highly anticipated heavyweight unification bout with Anthony Joshua at Millennium Stadium on March 31st. We find a very relaxed, humorous and upbeat Parker, a fighter who is clearly relishing his opportunity to fight on the big stage. 

BOXINGSCENE.COM: Joseph, first things first, how has the first week of camp gone?

JP: At the end of this first week in camp I believe I’m already in the same sort of shape as when we fought Fury. Now it’s just building upon this good start, we want to drop down to 107 or 108kgs and it’s fair to say we’re already not far off it.

BOXINGSCENE.COM: Even though Joshua is a big heavyweight, he seems to prefer to fight from the outside rather than adopting that mauling Klitschko type style. I’m assuming you prefer being a bit lighter and getting some of your speed and combination punching back to combat that?

JP: It’s very important we come in lighter, I’m a better fighter when I’m lighter. My footwork is better, my hands are quicker, everything improves. I intend to take my shirt off at the weigh-in and be chiseled. If by the time the fight comes around and I don’t have abs, I’ll paint them on!! (laughs.)

BOXINGSCENE.COM: Without going into too much detail I’m sure part of the fight plan is to start fast and test Joshua’s stamina and cardio?

JP: Correct. We’ll be looking to start at a fast, smart pace and with lots of movement.

BOXINGSCENE.COM: I know you’ve both followed each other’s careers for many years from amateur to professional to world champion. How did it feel to finally stand opposite him face-to-face and look him in the eye?

JP: It was awesome.  I could see confidence in his eyes, which you expect but also honestly, he’s not as big as I thought he was.

BOXINGSCENE.COM: Looking at the photos from the press conference he is obviously taller than you but across the chest and arms you looked very similar in size.

JP: Yeah, I put a lot of padding in my suit (laughs.) But seriously I thought he would be wider and taller but standing next to him there wasn’t a lot of difference.  It’s little things like that, that you draw confidence from.

BOXINGSCENE.COM: You’ve made no secret that part of your team’s tactics to secure the fight was to come out and question his jaw and his ability to take a punch. Interestingly one of the unintended consequences of that strategy is that it seems to have genuinely got under his skin. Now that the fight has been made are you going to continue needling him or are you intending to revert to being more respectful?

JP: I think it was important to make some moves leading into the fight, to try and secure the contract. Everything we said and did was calculated. There were a couple of times when negotiations stalled, so we would come out in the media and say some more things and then negotiations would start up again. However now we have the fight locked in, it will be more about focusing on the work we need to do rather than calling him out.

BOXINGSCENE.COM: Your team was criticized a lot during those negotiations but at the end of the day you’ve secured yourselves a great deal, so I guess the end justifies the means?

JP: Listen, the whole team did an excellent job, from my promoter David Higgins to our media director Craig Stanaway and coach Kevin (Barry.) It took a lot of planning and I know a lot of heat came our way because of how we went about things, but we got the fight locked in and that’s all that counts really.

BOXINGSCENE.COM: It was interesting that once the fight was signed and you all had that first press conference Joshua seemed insistent about going into quite some detail about the previous knockdowns he has suffered. What did you make of that?

JP: I don’t think he takes criticism very well and I think it’s a sign of weakness. It shows leading up to the press conference he was thinking about it and thinking about it, it must have been heavy on his mind.

BOXINGSCENE.COM: It’s fair to say that the lead-up, promotion-wise to your last fight with Hughie Fury was something akin to a dog’s breakfast. I also understand that you’ve been very happy with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom’s professionalism in the dealings you’ve had with them. How much of a difference do you think it will make to your performance not having to deal with all that background drama?

JP: It will make a big difference, no doubt about it. One thing we honestly feel is that Eddie Hearn genuinely wants it to be a fair fight and leave us with no excuses from our side. We agreed on many of the terms very quickly. It’s encouraging for sure. Now we have a date and structure put in place I can prepare with a very clear mind which hasn’t always been the case in the past.

BOXINGSCENE.COM: Due to your last couple of fights being somewhat lacklustre affairs, a lot of Joshua’s fans have written you off already and have dismissed this fight as a walk in the park for their champion. What would you say to them directly?

JP: Something very simple like just wait until fight night and judge me then. I do think many of his fans have written me off but there are also a substantial number of his fans that believe this will be a good fight and are excited to see it happening. I just want to put on a great show for them and for my fans as well. For me I use the doubters as motivation.

BOXINGSCENE.COM: You both have a common opponent in Carlos Takam, and although Joshua did end up winning quite convincingly, even if the stoppage wasn’t, I think even he’d admit it wasn’t a vintage performance from him. You and Takem may have very different styles but what are some of the things that he did in that fight that you might look at replicating?

JP: I think I have better movement than Takam but honestly just the little jerky movements and feints that Takam used seemed to work well. So, for sure I’ll sell Joshua some feints, in fact I’ll sell them to him for $2.50 each! (laughs) I felt Takam’s body shots took away some of Joshua’s momentum and that is something else we’ll look at. And of course, I’m a lot bigger than Takam. 

BOXINGSCENE.COM: You have got a good chin, that’s well documented, but equally it’s fair to say you’ve never faced a puncher as big as Joshua. How does one even prepare for that?

JP: That’s true to some extent but don’t forget I have sparred with Klitschko and he can punch. One of the advantages of making a great purse for this fight is that no expense will be spared in our preparation, we are now in a position where we can bring in A-Plus sparring partners that we feel will replicate Joshua’s size, his style and his power. We’ll be leaving no stone unturned.

BOXINGSCENE.COM: Joshua has had one of those ‘walk through fire’ moments in his career where he got off the canvas to come back and knockout Klitschko. That’s something you’ve never had to go through, how do you think you’ll react if that happens in this fight and have you ever suffered anything comparable to that before?

JP: Firstly, the way Joshua got dropped and came back you’ve got to respect that, that’s the heart of a champion. I suppose the worst moment in my career was getting my eardrum burst against Nascimento. That was awful, your whole body loses balance, you get temporarily dizzy and your head is ringing. I’ve also suffered a deep cut from a vicious headbutt and I’ve fought with constant pain in my elbows for the past few fights, which is something that is thankfully no longer a problem. So yes, I know how to fight through uncomfortable moments and get the job done, no worries there.

We chat for a few more minutes as we wind down the interview and the sense one gets from talking to Parker is not one of apprehension or concern, it’s much more a state of excitement and buoyant self-assurance. It remains to be seen if this translates into a career defining performance on March 31st, but one thing is for certain, when the opening bell rings Joseph Parker won’t be lacking in confidence as he marches into battle against a fighter in Anthony Joshua who will be far and away the toughest opponent of his career.