Parker reveals truth around his problem elbows
Joseph Parker reveals truth around his problem elbows and how they can now help KO Dillian Whyte.
Joseph Parker will probably need a knockout to beat Britain's Dillian Whyte in London and the Kiwi heavyweight is confident the power is finally returning to achieve that.
Parker has returned to Las Vegas and immediately begun training on a tight schedule for the hastily arranged July 29 fight in the British capital.
Given the aggressive style of Whyte who has amassed 14 of his 16 KO wins inside four rounds, it's unlikely this fight will go to the cards.
Parker, facing his third fight in the UK inside a year, certainly doesn't want to take that risk.
"When you are fighting in someone's backyard a decision isn't an option for you. As soon as you go there to fight you have already lost unless you get a knock out," Parker told Stuff of his philosophy for this huge return fight on the back of his points loss to Anthony Joshua in Cardiff where he surrendered his WBO belt.
"It's a matter of developing that power in camp so that you can knockout someone out."
Parker, who hasn't had a KO victory since he demolished Alexander Dimitrenko inside four rounds in south Auckland in October 2016, believes that is achievable now.
Persistent arm issues dogged him for more than two years before he got rushed surgery to both elbows late last year while still in negotiations to fight Joshua.
Parker revealed that the elbows, without a lengthy rehabilitation programme, still dogged him during most of his camp for Joshua. But with so much at stake - three world titles and a multi-million dollar pay day - he didn't want to be seen to be making excuses before or after the massive occasion.
Now he's free of issues and feelsd his power and timing will improve accordingly as he looks to get his 19th knockout in his 26th pro fight.
"There's no comparison," Parker said of his elbows now and in the leadup to that April 1 fight against Joshua.
"The truth is, and there's no excuses, the first four or five weeks of the Joshua camp was the most pain I've ever had," Parker said.
"It was like we didn't even have surgery on them, it felt worse."
Parker said they had to stop training and sparring to tend to them at times. His trainer Kevin Barry brought in specialists and slowly but surely improvements came.
"It was probably only during the last two weeks in Vegas that it all clicked and the pain started to disappear," Parker said.
"Now there is no pain, so not only is my weight good at around 110kg but there is no pain to start off with.
"I feel like I'm in a great space. It's a short camp but it's going to be a great camp and I'm going to make every second count."
Parker welcomes Whyte's toe-to-toe style after Joshua frustrated him with a conservative approach, happy to see out the 12-rounder and keep himself in line for bigger things against American Deontay Wilder.
Parker knows he won't have to go chasing Whyte like he did against Joshua and also against an elusive Hughie Fury in Manchester last September.
"I think his style is perfect for us. He comes forward and throws a lot of punches. Sometimes when you focus on attacking the other person you can make a mistake and walk into a big one," Parker, who appears to have a better allround game than Whyte, said.
He again praised Whyte for taking the fight when the Brit had finally manouevred his way into contention with the WBC, WBO and IBF organisations.
"He could have taken an easy one, I could have taken an easy one but what's the point? We are in the boxing business where we have to make every fight count and every fight taking us closer to the world title," Parker said.
"I think if you win this, you are top of the table to fight for a world championship."