‘Times have changed’
Parker takes aim at ‘old school’ Fury
World heavyweight champion Joseph Parker has ridiculed Hughie Fury’s “old school” training regime ahead of their title fight in Manchester next month, saying it belongs in the past.
Fury and his trainer and father Peter, in camp at England’s scenic Lake District, have regularly posted pictures on social media of the 22-year-old chopping wood, as well as running up hills in military fatigues and boots, and punching frozen animal carcasses.
All of which has not impressed New Zealander Parker, training at his Las Vegas base, in the slightest.
In an interview with the Herald on Sunday, Parker didn’t hold back when comparing his camp with Fury’s.
“I feel like we’re in a different era — he can go back to old school, but I think old school should remain in old school,” Parker said. “This is a new generation, it’s time to try new things, new training techniques.
“I mean, it’s good that he believes in his work and what they’re doing — smashing wood with an axe, [but] he might get so used to that motion he might start doing that in the ring.”
Asked if Parker’s training with mentor Kevin Barry was more “scientific”, the 25-year-old replied: “More scientific, more technical, more appropriate. I’m not going to go into the ring and try to smash him like I’m smashing an axe. I’m punching a bag because that’s how I’ll punch his face.”
After a long break following what he has described as a disappointing performance against Razvan Cojanu in Auckland in May, Parker is three and a half weeks into his camp, with four and a half weeks to go before he and his team embark for Manchester. He is scheduled to arrive in London a fortnight before the September 23 fight and will travel by rail to Manchester several days before the bout — his first in the United Kingdom.
He feels fit and focused, despite the glitch of a drugs test miscommunication whereby he was in Samoa when a drugs tester arrived at his Las Vegas base.
That, Parker said, was a simple error, and that he had volunteered for a test straight afterwards. “We’ve done our own tests to show that I am clean and that there are no problems with my camp,” he said.
Now, he said, there was a real momentum and excitement building as he prepared for the 24th fight of his undefeated professional career.
“Everything is on track the way it should be. The other camps were good, but there were a lot of distractions and disruptions — a lot of things happening in the background. I feel like everything has cleared up and there’s only one focus.”
Part of that is the fact Parker is fighting at the Manchester Arena — enemy territory — and no doubt also that a win would put him closer to a unification fight with Anthony Joshua.
“We’re so used to fighting back home, and I love fighting at home — we have a great set-up,” Parker said. “We’ve done it for a while now and I feel like I’ve got comfortable. This new challenge of fighting away in front of his crowd — I feel like it’s given me extra excitement because it’s something new. Being a champion, you have to defend your title around the world. You can’t be a world champion and fight just in New Zealand.”
Barry recently told the Herald that he wanted Parker lighter and more dynamic for this fight, the theory being that his fighter could be more dynamic from the opening bell.
Parker admitted: “I was a bit too heavy in the last fight. We’re looking at being under 111kg [his fight weight against Cojanu]. I’m looking at 107kg.
“If I’m lighter I’ll be able to put more pressure on and chase him down. I’ll be able to throw more punches and be more elusive.
“My goal is to knock him out,” Parker said. “It’s his home ground and he might get favouritism from the judges, I’m not sure. If it goes 12 rounds I want to put in a dominant performance. I’m doing my best in camp to throw a lot of punches. I want to dominate for 12 rounds . . . if it doesn’t [go the distance] I want to dominate from the beginning and try to look for a shot where I can knock him out cold.”
I feel like we’re in a different era — he can go back to old school, but I think old school should remain in old school
Joseph Parker