09-23-2017, 08:05 PM
Confident Joseph Parker ready for the fury that backs Hughie Fury
The eyes of the boxing world will be watching WBO world champion Joseph Parker and England's Hughie Fury.
OPINION: If Joseph Parker can take the composure he's shown during fight week into the ring on fight night he should go well.
Parker has looked every bit the champion as he has paraded his WBO belt around London and Manchester, earning warm respect and keeping a cool demeanour under some trying circumstances.
The weigh-in scuffle was a classic case of Parker getting a mental edge over Fury on the eve of the fight, smiling off the challenger's persistent taunts and quietly delivering the payout line that eventually saw the Englishman snap.
It was an occasion that also gave Parker some idea of what awaits in the Manchester Arena.
Joseph Parker and his trainer Kevin Barry were all smiles at a Manchester promotion earlier in the week.
There was a decent crowd at the National Football Museum in the heart of this sports-mad city for the weigh-in.
They warmed to their locals on the undercard as the lightweights and middleweights stepped onto the scales.
It ramped up for the arrival of the heavyweights though.
They were courteous to Parker as he arrived, just as they have been everywhere he has gone, winning new friends with his charming persona.
But once Fury stepped up on stage, things took on another dimension.
It got loud and it got ugly. There were taunts and slurs and Fury's fans were egging him on to do something radical to which he duly obliged, fuelled by their encouragement and Parker's whispered sledges.
Those same passionate fans will be baying for Parker's blood as he enters the arena and climbs between the ropes.
This is new territory for Parker who is usually the star of the show in the comforts of home in New Zealand or Samoa. In his fights in the United States and Germany he's been an undercard act, devoid of the spotlight.
He's the main event in Manchester, a fighter in enemy territory, the man carrying the world championship belt that everyone wants returned to the Furys and the northern city.
They are a passionate mob here and they are used to success from their first family of boxing.
It seems the tribalism usually associated with British football belongs in boxing too.
Parker has been relishing his new surroundings – so far.
He liked London and appreciated the increased attention he got daily as the fight got nearer and nearer. Things were very civil in Manchester too, until now.
Parker is here to get known and he's made a good start in that quest with his demeanour out of the ring.
But it's only actions in the ring that will prove his point.
Logic suggests Parker, with his superior experience, activity and power should win this fight.
But logic has a tendency to go out the window when it comes to boxing, especially the heavyweight ranks where one punch can truly make a difference or a tricky underdog can outmanoeuvre and frustrate a favourite.
But there is real confidence in Parker at the moment, more than I've ever encountered privately or publicly in covering virtually all of his professional career.
He will need to take every bit of that with him into the ring against Fury in what will surely be an environment to match the challenger's name.
- Stuff
The eyes of the boxing world will be watching WBO world champion Joseph Parker and England's Hughie Fury.
OPINION: If Joseph Parker can take the composure he's shown during fight week into the ring on fight night he should go well.
Parker has looked every bit the champion as he has paraded his WBO belt around London and Manchester, earning warm respect and keeping a cool demeanour under some trying circumstances.
The weigh-in scuffle was a classic case of Parker getting a mental edge over Fury on the eve of the fight, smiling off the challenger's persistent taunts and quietly delivering the payout line that eventually saw the Englishman snap.
It was an occasion that also gave Parker some idea of what awaits in the Manchester Arena.
Joseph Parker and his trainer Kevin Barry were all smiles at a Manchester promotion earlier in the week.
There was a decent crowd at the National Football Museum in the heart of this sports-mad city for the weigh-in.
They warmed to their locals on the undercard as the lightweights and middleweights stepped onto the scales.
It ramped up for the arrival of the heavyweights though.
They were courteous to Parker as he arrived, just as they have been everywhere he has gone, winning new friends with his charming persona.
But once Fury stepped up on stage, things took on another dimension.
It got loud and it got ugly. There were taunts and slurs and Fury's fans were egging him on to do something radical to which he duly obliged, fuelled by their encouragement and Parker's whispered sledges.
Those same passionate fans will be baying for Parker's blood as he enters the arena and climbs between the ropes.
This is new territory for Parker who is usually the star of the show in the comforts of home in New Zealand or Samoa. In his fights in the United States and Germany he's been an undercard act, devoid of the spotlight.
He's the main event in Manchester, a fighter in enemy territory, the man carrying the world championship belt that everyone wants returned to the Furys and the northern city.
They are a passionate mob here and they are used to success from their first family of boxing.
It seems the tribalism usually associated with British football belongs in boxing too.
Parker has been relishing his new surroundings – so far.
He liked London and appreciated the increased attention he got daily as the fight got nearer and nearer. Things were very civil in Manchester too, until now.
Parker is here to get known and he's made a good start in that quest with his demeanour out of the ring.
But it's only actions in the ring that will prove his point.
Logic suggests Parker, with his superior experience, activity and power should win this fight.
But logic has a tendency to go out the window when it comes to boxing, especially the heavyweight ranks where one punch can truly make a difference or a tricky underdog can outmanoeuvre and frustrate a favourite.
But there is real confidence in Parker at the moment, more than I've ever encountered privately or publicly in covering virtually all of his professional career.
He will need to take every bit of that with him into the ring against Fury in what will surely be an environment to match the challenger's name.
- Stuff