Parker: I must get nasty

Joseph Parker won’t be changing his trainer Kevin Barry but he will be altering his attitude, promising to bring some much-needed mongrel to his fight game. It was the missing element in a close but costly loss to Dillian Whyte where the rugged Brit literally manhandled Parker out of the contest at times.

Back-to-back defeats have thrown the spotlight on Parker’s methods and brought some criticism over the work of his long-term trainer.

But the 26-year-old believes there is still more to come in a relationship he feels can get him back to world champion status. “I love the work that Kevin gives and I know that he gives 110 per cent in training. I’m not quite sure why he is getting criticised, it’s a team effort,” Parker told Stuff on Tuesday as he opened up on the Whyte fight and its ramifications.

He said the fight plan was proven in the first two rounds before he suffered a headbutt from Whyte that changed the course of the fight, leaving him in a dream state for the middle rounds, including getting floored by a left hook he didn’t see. His recovery came too late as he almost pulled off a dramatic final round knockout.

“We were doing really well ... good movement, punching well and combinations to the head and body. But then the headbutt changed how the fight went.

“I’m not complaining, I’m not making excuses but that’s the obvious thing that happened. I was fit to go 12 rounds, I was fit to throw a lot of punches but a few things in the fight caused a bit of discomfort and changed the course of the fight,” he said in further defence of Barry’s plan.

Parker said Whyte’s approach was a tough lesson but one he must learn from as he looks to remain at the elite level.

“I believe I’m still at that level. The fight could have been different, I could have knocked him out at the end and it could have been a different result. But credit to him, he’s a tough fighter and he showed a lot more mongrel than I did. I feel like I belong at the top, I just need things to click a bit better when I’m in the ring.”

Part of that was finding some mongrel in his own game. He said current circumstances demanded that.

“Now that I have had two losses and I have a short time to get back to the top, it’s time to give everything and leave everything there. It’s time to flick the switch and be the best and most ruthless Joseph Parker there can be.”