06-13-2018, 04:58 PM
Why Joseph Parker sees his fight with Dillian Whyte as a 50-50 affair
Dillian Whyte and Joseph Parker are promising an explosive encounter when they meet in London at the end of July.
Joseph Parker sees his clash with Dillian Whyte as a "50-50" fight and believes their contrasting losses to Anthony Joshua are irrelevant.
Kiwi heavyweight Parker and British brawler Whyte have signed for a clash in London's O2 Arena on July 29 (NZT).
Joshua is the man who has handed both fighters their only defeats. Whyte (23-1) got knocked out in the sixth round by Joshua in 2015 while Parker (24-1) became the first man to go the distance with Joshua, losing his April 1 bout by unanimous points and surrendering his cherished WBO belt.
This fight has quickly emerged as a route back to the top for Parker and another opportunity for the aggressive Whyte to shine in his own back yard. It's highly marketable given their common link to Joshua but that's where the similarities end as far as Parker is concerned.
"You can't really say that he got knocked out and I went 12 rounds," Parker told Sky TV in the UK.
"Styles make fights and every fight is different and anything can happen in any fight.
"Everyone says are you confident from the 12 rounds you went. But you can't get confidence from 12 rounds ... you have top focus on the person in front of you not what you did in the past.
"I'm excited man, I can't wait. I'm in the ring with this guy who has got a longer reach than me but I want to get in there and do my thing. I think it's going to be an explosive fight.
"I see it as a 50-50 ... I see the youngness, the drive that we both have, the goals that we have to be world champion."
Given he believes the result hangs in the balance, Parker deserves credit for taking this option as a comeback fight when easier opponents beckoned following his loss to Joshua.
Whyte was critical of Parker's performance against Joshua, suggesting he had used his running shoes to avoid defeat in the hyped unification fight in Cardiff.
Whyte explained that in more depth, saying: "I felt like he had his big moment and he didn't do enough. After five or six rounds he knew he was being beaten on points, he knew he was in another man's country, he knew he (Joshua) was the champion, he knew the referee had been a little bit (shakes his head) ... so you think throw caution to the wind and go after it.
"He didn't do that but the good thing is in my fight he will feel he needs to do that."
Whyte already has a fight plan formulating as he buries himself into a training camp away from his family in south London, moving his base to Loughborough, on the outskirts of Leicester.
"Against Joshua, I saw that he's very cautious and likes to play it safe, he doesn't like to take risks," Whyte told The Mirror.
"So if I put him under enough pressure for him to take risks and fight out of his comfort zone, then I'll tag him.
"I don't think I'll have an easier fight against Parker than Joshua did, because Parker is going to want to prove himself that he is better than what he showed that night.
"Parker has got warrior DNA, he comes from warrior-based people.
"He will be very positive and very confident about beating me.
"But he knows how strong I am, he knows I can fight and what I'm capable of so let's see what happens."
In other heavyweight boxing news out of London, former world champion David Haye has retired on the back of his second successive loss to fellow Brit Tony Bellew.
Haye, 37, finishes with a 28-4 record.
Haye has allowed Parker to use his London gym regularly over the past year as the Kiwi campaigned in the UK and is sure to be involved in Parker's next visit to the British capital.
JOSEPH PARKER (NZ and Samoa)
Age: 26
Record: 24-1 (18 KOs)
Height: 1.93cm
Reach: 1.93cm
DILLIAN WHYTE (Jamaica and GB)
Age: 30
Record: 23-1 (17 KOs)
Height: 1.93m
Reach: 1.98m
COMMON OPPONENTS
Lost to Anthony Joshua (GB) – Parker by unanimous points over 12 rounds, Whyte by TKO in round 6.
Beat Brian Minto (GB) - Parker won when Minto threw in towel in round 7, Whyte by 3rd round TKO.
Beat Marcelo Luiz Nascimento (Brazil) - Parker by round 7 TKO, Whyte by round 2 KO
Beat Irineu Beato Costa Junior (Brazil) - Parker by round 4 KO, Whyte won by round 1 KO).
- Stuff
Dillian Whyte and Joseph Parker are promising an explosive encounter when they meet in London at the end of July.
Joseph Parker sees his clash with Dillian Whyte as a "50-50" fight and believes their contrasting losses to Anthony Joshua are irrelevant.
Kiwi heavyweight Parker and British brawler Whyte have signed for a clash in London's O2 Arena on July 29 (NZT).
Joshua is the man who has handed both fighters their only defeats. Whyte (23-1) got knocked out in the sixth round by Joshua in 2015 while Parker (24-1) became the first man to go the distance with Joshua, losing his April 1 bout by unanimous points and surrendering his cherished WBO belt.
This fight has quickly emerged as a route back to the top for Parker and another opportunity for the aggressive Whyte to shine in his own back yard. It's highly marketable given their common link to Joshua but that's where the similarities end as far as Parker is concerned.
"You can't really say that he got knocked out and I went 12 rounds," Parker told Sky TV in the UK.
"Styles make fights and every fight is different and anything can happen in any fight.
"Everyone says are you confident from the 12 rounds you went. But you can't get confidence from 12 rounds ... you have top focus on the person in front of you not what you did in the past.
"I'm excited man, I can't wait. I'm in the ring with this guy who has got a longer reach than me but I want to get in there and do my thing. I think it's going to be an explosive fight.
"I see it as a 50-50 ... I see the youngness, the drive that we both have, the goals that we have to be world champion."
Given he believes the result hangs in the balance, Parker deserves credit for taking this option as a comeback fight when easier opponents beckoned following his loss to Joshua.
Whyte was critical of Parker's performance against Joshua, suggesting he had used his running shoes to avoid defeat in the hyped unification fight in Cardiff.
Whyte explained that in more depth, saying: "I felt like he had his big moment and he didn't do enough. After five or six rounds he knew he was being beaten on points, he knew he was in another man's country, he knew he (Joshua) was the champion, he knew the referee had been a little bit (shakes his head) ... so you think throw caution to the wind and go after it.
"He didn't do that but the good thing is in my fight he will feel he needs to do that."
Whyte already has a fight plan formulating as he buries himself into a training camp away from his family in south London, moving his base to Loughborough, on the outskirts of Leicester.
"Against Joshua, I saw that he's very cautious and likes to play it safe, he doesn't like to take risks," Whyte told The Mirror.
"So if I put him under enough pressure for him to take risks and fight out of his comfort zone, then I'll tag him.
"I don't think I'll have an easier fight against Parker than Joshua did, because Parker is going to want to prove himself that he is better than what he showed that night.
"Parker has got warrior DNA, he comes from warrior-based people.
"He will be very positive and very confident about beating me.
"But he knows how strong I am, he knows I can fight and what I'm capable of so let's see what happens."
In other heavyweight boxing news out of London, former world champion David Haye has retired on the back of his second successive loss to fellow Brit Tony Bellew.
Haye, 37, finishes with a 28-4 record.
Haye has allowed Parker to use his London gym regularly over the past year as the Kiwi campaigned in the UK and is sure to be involved in Parker's next visit to the British capital.
JOSEPH PARKER (NZ and Samoa)
Age: 26
Record: 24-1 (18 KOs)
Height: 1.93cm
Reach: 1.93cm
DILLIAN WHYTE (Jamaica and GB)
Age: 30
Record: 23-1 (17 KOs)
Height: 1.93m
Reach: 1.98m
COMMON OPPONENTS
Lost to Anthony Joshua (GB) – Parker by unanimous points over 12 rounds, Whyte by TKO in round 6.
Beat Brian Minto (GB) - Parker won when Minto threw in towel in round 7, Whyte by 3rd round TKO.
Beat Marcelo Luiz Nascimento (Brazil) - Parker by round 7 TKO, Whyte by round 2 KO
Beat Irineu Beato Costa Junior (Brazil) - Parker by round 4 KO, Whyte won by round 1 KO).
- Stuff