AJ’S HAD AN EASY RIDE TO THE TOP
Cash was tight for me, says Parker
AS IF battling Anthony Joshua for the unified world heavyweight championship in front of an 80,000 crowd and on live television in 180 countries is not exciting enough, Joseph Parker’s next trick will be to build an adventure playground.
With or without the several belts at stake in Cardiff ’ s Principality Stadium, Parker will hasten home after the Saturday night spectacular to begin construction work in his back garden in Auckland.
‘The materials have already been delivered to a new house I’ve just bought,’ says Parker. ‘I’m itching to get on with it.’
With his wife expecting their second daughter in June the amiable holder of the WBO heavyweight title could take his time over the playground.
‘The first pleasure for me will be putting it up. I love construction. I won a building scholarship as a boy, when my mum kept telling me that every boxer needs a fall-back plan in life.’
That advice was cemented into his builder’s psyche as a teenager when he was selected to box for New Zealand.
‘Unlike the kind of financial support Anthony received on his way to winning his Olympic gold medal, our government doesn’t put much money behind amateur boxers,’ explains Parker, who is set to receive £7million compared to Joshua’s £20m — a career-high for each fighter.
‘ I’m thankful that after I missed out on the Olympics, Duco Events (his promoters) invested in me. Otherwise I wouldn’t be here this weekend.
‘We’ve put in the hard yards. Boxing is tough but it was tougher for me than it was for Anthony. That is a part of the motivation for me to beat him but other things matter more.’
As a New Zealander of Samoan heritage, Parker adds: ‘First off I want to make myself, my family, my team and my two countries proud. If I can do that by winning this fight, it will be a boost to boxing in NZ and the Polynesian Islands.
‘There are a lot of great fighters back there but they don’t get the recognition or the chance to prove themselves by boxing abroad or being financially able to focus on the sport. My success is having an impact already. It will be all the greater after I beat Anthony.’
For the moment, he is more serious about a fight than ever before. So much so that he thinks he is more intense than Joshua — ‘albeit less tense’.
He says: ‘When Anthony says he is fully focused on me we have to believe him. Although that doesn’t gel with him talking about his next fight.’
Surprisingly, shortly before the biggest fight of his career, Parker had surgery to both elbows ‘to free up my punches’. He has also lost weight in order to gain speed of hand and foot.
That quickness has been perceived as his biggest asset. As he says: ‘Speed is power.’
Parker v Joshua is live tomorrow night on Sky Sports Box Office.