Parker vows to get nasty
Joseph Parker won’t be changing his trainer Kevin Barry but he will be altering his attitude, promising to bring some muchneeded 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 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 yesterday.
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 dazed 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 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.
‘‘I believe I’m still at that level. 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.’’
He admitted Whyte had caught him unawares at times with his dirty tactics but he promised to add these dimensions to his sparring work at his next camp.
Parker said he could take the inevitable and ongoing criticism on the chin and he had no intentions of quitting.
‘‘This is probably the first hard fight that I have been involved in and I got a knockdown. A lot of people are saying I should retire and finish boxing. I’m only 26, my goal is to finish at 30 so I still have a bit of time to get back to the top. That’s my goal, to be champion of the world again, to be unified champion.
‘‘I respect everyone’s opinion, they are all entitled to it. But for me, I’m not ready to retire, I’m not ready to finish.
‘‘It’s not good to lose, it’s not a nice thing. Rewatching the fight I saw some positives and some things that didn’t go well but the main thing is I’m healthy . . . I’m OK and I’m back to my family and daughters.’’