Footwork is all about timing and reading your opponent. The best advocate for this as a smaller HW in this division over recent times has been Holyfield.
Closing the gap is a skill that is learnt from your early days as an amateur. in the amateurs you spa with a number of different gym mates, which can be taller, shorter, faster and hit harder. Trainers do this to make their team members a more rounded fighter.
Parker did get good advice in those early years with his trainer Grant Arkle, but I don't think he wasn't around long enough as an amateur to fine tune these skills.
I know KB is working on this, and I think Parker will mature into a more rounded fighter with time. losing this fight will be a great experience, and I hope he re-watches this fight often to see where he did things wrong.
On a positive note, I saw Parker throw left hooks like Ive never seen him throw before. This is a weapon that all HW's must have.
A new coach I don't think is the answer here as the relationship is very good... but a technical adviser, and experienced technical sparring partners are the answers here, I believe. He doesn't need to be sparring with tomato cans. They need to be technically sound so he can learn off them.
Closing the gap is a skill that is learnt from your early days as an amateur. in the amateurs you spa with a number of different gym mates, which can be taller, shorter, faster and hit harder. Trainers do this to make their team members a more rounded fighter.
Parker did get good advice in those early years with his trainer Grant Arkle, but I don't think he wasn't around long enough as an amateur to fine tune these skills.
I know KB is working on this, and I think Parker will mature into a more rounded fighter with time. losing this fight will be a great experience, and I hope he re-watches this fight often to see where he did things wrong.
On a positive note, I saw Parker throw left hooks like Ive never seen him throw before. This is a weapon that all HW's must have.
A new coach I don't think is the answer here as the relationship is very good... but a technical adviser, and experienced technical sparring partners are the answers here, I believe. He doesn't need to be sparring with tomato cans. They need to be technically sound so he can learn off them.