Parker works on dirty tricks

Joseph Parker is adding some dirty tricks to his arsenal, determined there will be no more Mr Nice Guy in the boxing ring.

The New Zealand heavyweight is wrapping up his training camp in Las Vegas and is adamant he will bring a more aggressive approach to his December 15 fight in Christchurch against American Mexican Alexander Flores.

There was universal criticism of Parker’s inability to respond to the rough-house tactics of Dillian Whyte in his July loss to the rugged Brit in London, a setback that followed his world unification loss to Anthony Joshua where he admitted he was too cautious.

Parker and his trainer, Kevin Barry, have addressed those losses, making the mongrel factor a priority over the past eight weeks for a bout Parker must win with an exclamation mark as he attempts to fight his way back up the rankings and into title contention again.

It’s been a tough lesson for the mild-mannered Parker but it’s been even tougher on his sparring partners who have worn the brunt of his frustrations.

They were warned by Barry that things could get rough and that’s the way it has played out as Parker looks to find a new ruthlessness for this next stage of his career.

‘‘We have always talked about being aggressive and not being Mr Nice Guy but we haven’t done it,’’ Parker said. ‘I haven’t really shown it in camp and if you aren’t showing it in camp, how are you going to show it in the fight? Now we are seeing it more in camp, we are familiarising ourselves with it in the gym.

‘‘A lot of people questioned if I could be a mongrel with the Dillian Whyte fight, so with this training camp, if you ask the sparring partners, I’ve hit them down here (points to groin), tripped them up, thrown them around the ring.

‘‘I feel it’s something we have to do. You not only have to box smart, you have to be ruthless in the ring.’’

Parker has put Flores on notice that he won’t stand for any nonsense in Christchurch.

‘‘Come fight night if he tries to do any dirty tricks, I will counter with dirtier ones. So if I have to punch him low I will, if I have to elbow him in the face I will. Now it’s not about talking about it, I’m going to be about it.’’

Parker said there was a need to up the ante.

Aware of the question marks over their partnership, Barry and Parker had a real heart-to-heart discussion after the Whyte fight where Parker was headbutted, elbowed and wrestled through the ropes by a ruthless opponent who was prepared to do anything to get a victory that has put him on the verge of a world title fight.

Barry has vowed Parker won’t allow himself to be treated like that again, starting with this ‘‘no holds barred’’ camp.

‘‘We all knew Dillian Whyte was a rough guy but I don’t think we realised to what extent and to what extremes he would go to. And also what the officials would let him get away with,’’ Barry said.

‘‘I’ve had Joe hitting his sparring partners to just about every part of their body. I’ve had him taking guys to the floor, I’ve had him with his forearm choking guys – stuff we’ve never done before.

‘‘Every day after sparring I apologise to his sparring partners for the s**t he’s doing, and they get it.’’ ‘‘To be completely honest, a lot of things I’ve taught Joe over the years and trained for in the gym, he’s never felt that that’s been part of his game. But after the Whyte fight he’s felt he has to add that to his game, that ‘I’ve got to be giving it back’… and we saw in the Whyte fight that he simply didn’t.

‘‘No one will ever treat him like that again.’’

It’s now about being streetwise.

‘‘I don’t think we’ll have to do it against Flores – I think he’s a clean guy. But I think it was important to make that adjustment and it’s important to Joe to know if he wanted to do something then he can.’’

* Duncan Johnstone flew to the United States with the assistance of Parker v Flores fight sponsor Flooring Xtra.