I’LL BEAT SOME RESPECT INTO YOU, PARKER
AJ hits back at rival’s ‘glass jaw’ taunt
ANTHONY JOSHUA has stoked up the bad blood between him and Joseph Parker, claiming he won’t shake the Kiwi’s hand after he “whoops” him.
Joshua is angry at Parker’s accusations he has a glass jaw and has vowed to make him pay, after their world heavyweight title unification clash was confirmed for March 31, at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.
The unbeaten WBA Super and IBF king claims Parker’s trashtalking shows he lacks class.
“In sports, you’ve got the likes of Andy Murray, Lewis Hamilton, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and LeBron James,” he said. “And then you’ve got people like Joseph Parker, who’s not a respectable type of person, he can’t control himself.
“But that’s just how it is. You’ve got to accept people for who they are. If that’s how he wants to plan his shot, we let him crack on.
“He’ll be respectful after I whoop him. He might try to shake my hand. I won’t shake his hand though.”
Parker, 26, has taunted Joshua by claiming he has never been put down, unlike him, but the 2012 Olympic champ says he will break him down with body shots.
“I’m going to smash him up to the body,” said Joshua, 28. “What slowed Carlos Takam down is when I started punching him to the stomach.
“Jab to the stomach, right hand to the stomach. If someone has got a strong head, you hit them to the body. It’s simple, so if Parker’s got a granite chin, I’ll weaken his body.”
Undefeated WBO champ Parker (left) is undaunted by Joshua’s perfect record of 20 stoppages from his 20 fights and said: “He’s in for a huge shock.
“The world is about to find out whether AJ can really take a punch.
“My entire existence is now devoted to proving what the boxing world already knows.”