SWEATING IT T
WHEN your average 24-year-old has gone the distance on the Las Vegas strip and thrown in the towel, Joseph Parker’s day is just beginning.
The alarm is set for 4.50am, and 40 minutes later Parker is waiting for the security gates to open so he can jog the sidewalks of Henderson, Nevada, a city founded during World War II when the Basic Magnesium Plant was established to produce ‘‘miracle metal’’ for munitions casings and aeroplane engines.
Rated by Forbes magazine as America’s second-safest city in 2011, Henderson is 26km southeast of Vegas on the I-15 and I-215.
It’s out of harm’s way for New Zealand’s heavyweight contender. Parker is rarely blinded by the neon lights when he stays at his trainer Kevin Barry’s home in the secluded, and ironically named, Green Valley.
After some gentle persuasion Parker agreed to venture to the strip after dark – he paused outside the MGMGrand, to discuss the significance of the sprawling venue on the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana, then strolled unnoticed through the casino floor to the car park and his lift home.
TheMGMwas a logical stop for Parker. After all, Caesar’s Palace – scene of the epic middleweight war between ‘‘Marvellous’’ Marvin Hagler and Thomas ‘‘Hitman’’ Hearns in 1985 – is no longer boxing’s oasis in the Mojave desert.
A visit to the MGMprovided a moment of clarity for Parker on May 4, 2013, when Floyd Mayweather fought Robert Guerrero for the welterweight world championship.
‘‘I was overwhelmed and excited. I set a goal that one day I wanted to fight at the MGM. I love fighting back home but the ultimate goal is to fight for a world championship and I think a place like theMGMwould be the perfect place to hold it. ‘‘The atmosphere is crazy.’’ His next step towards achieving that goal takes places in Christchurch on July 21 when Parker fights Solomon Haumono, a former league player ranked 11th on theWBAheavyweight rankings with a record of 24 wins (21 KO), two losses and two draws.
Then there is a September bout planned for Invercargill against an as yet unnamed opponent – another means of keeping active until Parker challenges England’s Anthony Joshua for the IBF heavyweight belt in London, ideally in March or April.
Parker became the mandatory challenger by beating Carlos Takam by unanimous decision in South Auckland on May 21, the most significant victory of his unbeaten 19-fight professional career.
He celebrated by spending a fortnight in Dubai and Los Angeles, downtime that enabled him to act like a regular 24-year-old before he returned to Kevin and Tanya Barry’s sanctuary.
Parker started a seven-week training block on June 6, when running was the priority.
Sparring started eight days later, the morning after he started a three-day detox programme – a measure usually associated with leaving Las Vegas, not settling in.
‘‘Every two hours [from 7am to 7pm] you have a drink that Tarn [Tanya] makes. It’s a little hard but if you want your body to feel great you have to go through with it,’’ Parker said. The regimen includes green tea, honey, apple cider vinegar, fish oil capsules and the only food of substance: half a cup of boiled green cabbage seasoned with salt at 5pm. For Parker, day three is the hardest – he starts dreaming about solid food. There’s also the reality of the Barrys’ son Taylor and fellow live-in heavyweight Izu Ugonoh eating