Parker. Kiwi has the style and the speed
Boxing history is littered with examples of fighters who have looked past the opponent in front of them and paid the price.
Buster Douglas stunned a complacent Mike Tyson in Tokyo in 1990. Michael Moorer lost his heavyweight titles and unbeaten record when he overlooked the 45-year-old George Foreman in 1994. Lennox Lewis spent time on the Ocean’s Eleven film set in 2001 when he should have been preparing to fight Hasim Rahman at high altitude in South Africa. He was brutally knocked out in the fifth round.
Is Joseph Parker about to add his name to that storied list of heavyweight upsets?
Despite their best efforts to talk up Parker’s credentials, it’s hard to shake the feeling that Anthony Joshua’s camp is under-estimating the threat posed by the New Zealander as his promoter Eddie Hearn plots future superfights with WBA champion Deontay Wilder and compatriot Tyson Fury.
The big Brit has also understandably had his head turned by that astronomical $691 million offer to join the UFC on a multi-fight deal. Factor in his countless commercial and media commitments, and you have a distracted fighter.
Parker, by contrast, has flown under the radar and is in a good place mentally without the pressure of expectation on his shoulders. His injuries have healed, he looks leaner, fitter and sharper than in recent fights, and he’s supremely confident of getting his hand raised on the night. Wladimir Klitschko aside, can you really say the same of any of Joshua’s previous foes?
In a strange way, Parker’s recent poor performances may count in his favour. No-one in Britain was impressed by his laboured victories over Hughie Fury and Razvan Cojanu, and most expect Joshua to make light work of the unbeaten Kiwi. But if an injury-free and mentally focused Parker has rediscovered the explosive form that saw him take the heavyweight division by storm on his way to capturing the WBO crown, then Joshua and his adoring fan-base could be in for a nasty surprise.
Styles make fights. And the Kiwi’s style looks all wrong for Joshua.
Parker is quicker of hand and foot, accustomed to going the distance and thus far has shown a rock-solid chin. He’s never been down as an amateur or a professional and like Joshua carries thunderous power in his fists, as 18 knockouts from 24 contests suggests.
He also appears to have won the pre-fight mind games with the WBA and IBF champion. Those ‘‘glass chin’’ taunts have clearly unnerved the usually unflappable Englishman, who has no idea what to make of his ‘‘weird’’ opponent and his unorthodox team. Should the red mist descend and Joshua get careless, that could play right into Parker’s hands.
If he can survive the early onslaught and take the muscle-bound Joshua deep into the fight when he typically begins to tire and become a more stationary target, then the stage will be set for Parker to take charge and capture his rival’s titles, whether by outboxing him for a points victory or via late knockout.
That potent mix of complacency from Joshua’s side and Parker’s superior speed and fitness could provide the perfect tonic for the New Zealander to concoct a stunning upset in the Welsh capital.
‘‘It’s hard to shake the feeling that Anthony Joshua’s camp is underestimating the threat posed by the New Zealander.’’
Sam Wilson