Parker: I’m ready for the fight of my life
Trainer weighs in on Ruiz
‘‘This is my time,’’ Joseph Parker declares as he counts down to the WBO heavyweight title fight against Mexican Ruiz.
Parker’s trainer Kevin Barry may have installed Ruiz as favourite for the December 10 bout in Auckland but Parker respectfully challenged his boss’s theory that the Mexican had the faster hands backed up by more experience.
‘‘I respect Kevin and his opinion and Andy does have fast hands but I believe I’m faster, so I’ll prove Kevin wrong on fight night that I’m the faster fighter,’’ Parker said in his first media conference since arriving home from Las Vegas to finish off his preparations.
‘‘Kevin did say Andy was the favourite but he didn’t say that I was going to lose. This is my time.
‘‘I know he [Ruiz] has prepared well for this fight and that he’s taking this very seriously but the fight is going to be held here at home and I’m going to be ready for it. I’m excited, I’m really looking forward to it’’
Parker’s busy schedule – this will be his fifth fight of the year – has meant a relentless training regime but a fresh-looking Parker is adamant he’s primed for the fight of his life.
He thrives on keeping active and promises to drain the tank for this performance because of the fight’s significance.
‘‘There’s still a lot left in the tank. It’s been a tough year, it’s been a tough three years ... this will be 15 fights in three years and the body has taken a beating in training and in the fights.
‘‘Physically [over the last year] I’ve had a bit of pain pretty much everywhere. But at the moment I’m feeling fantastic. I have to be for this fight.
‘‘I’m ready for this challenge and I get two months off after this fight. So this is a fight I’m going to give everything I have ... whatever is left in the tank.’’
Parker said he had no problems making the late adjustment to fight Ruiz after they had intentions of going down the IBF route towards a title clash with the taller Anthony Joshua.
‘‘Whatever happens in the ring I have already prepared for it. These fighters put me under pressure, threw a lot of punches, chased me down. I was able to control my distance and control them. I’m ready for what he [Ruiz)] is going to bring.
‘‘His strengths are coming forward and fast hands, he’s a good mover, he moves his head and protects himself well. But with him coming in, if he walks into a big one it will be a good night for me.’’
Parker produced the Lennox Lewis versus David Tua title fight Joseph Parker’s trainer Kevin Barry has brushed off talk Andy Ruiz is risking his power game with his weight loss programme for the WBO title fight.
The notoriously chubby Ruiz is on a body transformation programme under the guidance of world-class trainer Abel Sanchez in Big Bear, California.
He is dropping weight quickly and could shed more than 14kg to enter the ring in Auckland on December 10 at around 111kg. Ruiz, 27, has fought effectively at up to 140kg in fashioning an unbeaten career.
Roy Jones Jnr, a world champion in four different weight classes, believes Ruiz is hindering his chances against Parker, claiming the weight loss will affect his game, particularly his ability to take a punch.
Barry, who has talked up Mexican Ruiz over the past couple of days, certainly wasn’t rushing to agree with Jones. In fact, he believed this conditioning scenario was nothing new for Ruiz.
‘‘When we say rapid weight loss, I don’t know about how rapid it is,’’ Barry argued.
‘‘Andy Ruiz turned professional at 310 pounds [140kg]. You are talking about a guy who has ben a pro for eight years. He has spent the eight years in a 29-0 career taking weight off.
‘‘This is not the first time he has taken weight off. No-one has been able to hit him, knock him down, make him go backwards in each of those fights where he has taken the weight off. So I think that’s your answer.’’
Ruiz has gained a reputation has having remarkable hand speed and body movement for a fighter of his size, though he has vowed to be in the best condition of his career for his shot at a world title against Parker.
from 2000 as an example, a fight where the giant Brit defended his title by keeping the dangerous but shorter Kiwi at bay
‘‘I’m going to do my best to fight like how Lennox Lewis did. You have to use your jab, use your reach and that advantage that you have,’’ Parker said.
‘‘The jab is going to be key. I’m obviously going to try to box from the outside.’’