Joseph Parker

[shamrock]

Keep your hair on die, just kidding. Nothing to do with the poor old Tuaman..everything's not his fault mate, he can balloon if he wants

[diehard]

No he can't, Sham. Tua needs to stay healthy. He told his sons he needs to be a role model to his sons. Not to mention other boxers. And himself. Pathetic. I mean, how hard could it be. He runs a GYM!!!

[shamrock]

Die, David is a short samoan and what does that spell out to you my friend....if he's not running and training consistently then he's gunna bloat. Unfortunately for him it's in his genes to blowout when he stops training, a walk around the block won't work for him like it does for European bio systems. Poor David, he doesn't feel like getting too serious about personal fitness or how he looks so in the end result he still gets the girls but is in no mind to what the boys think...

[diehard]

Poor excuse, Sham. Michael Jones and many other fit Samoans come to mind. No reason he can't stay in shape. Girls? One of his boxers was his girlfriend several years ago. Don't know about now. Dannyboy ought to know.

David made a promise to his two sons that he would eat right before one of the Barrett fights. Said he'd learned his lesson.

[shamrock]

That girl was Chris Martin's fighter Die, not sure she still with David. knew her well, she represented Shamrock Boxing Association at the nationals a cpl of times. Michael Jones.... well he could be part Irish then, what do you think?

[diehard]

Joseph Parker adds weight for Tupou fight

A bigger Joseph Parker will fight carefully against hulking Australian heavyweight Bowie Tupou in Invercargill.

31 July 2015

Exciting New Zealand heavyweight Joseph Parker has added some bulk for his title fight against Bowie Tupou but the Australian will well and truly trump him for size.

Unbeaten Parker chases the 15th win of his professional career on Saturday while Tongan-born Sydneysider Tupou seeks to improve a 10-year record which reads 25 wins from 28 fights.

Tupou, 32, is nine years older than the quick-moving Kiwi and at 1.89m is fractionally shorter.

The biggest difference is weight, with Tupou tipping the scales on Friday at 120.5kg compared to 107.5kg for Parker, which is 1kg up from his second-round knockout of German Yakup Saglam in Palmerston North seven weeks ago.

The Kiwi has only been heavier once before in his career, when he struggled to a seventh-round knockout of Brazilian Marcelo Luiz Nascimento in Germany 15 months ago.

Parker's trainer Kevin Barry said Tupou's heavy frame doesn't necessarily mean he will provide the same easy target as Parker's last three victims - Saglam, American Jason Pettaway and Brazilian Irineu Beato Costa Junior - who were all quickly dispatched by knockout.

"I applaud Bowie for the condition he turned up in if you compare his body shape with his previous couple of fights," Barry said.

"This is the biggest and most important fight in Joseph's career.

"It will continue Joe on his path for the top five in the world, which is outstanding considering he's been a pro for less than three years."

Parker, 23, is widely expected to have too much speed for Tupou, who is trained by Australian boxing great Jeff Fenech but has fought just three times in the last three years, mainly because of injury.

Barry is wary of Tupou's power, particularly his overhand right, and has asked Parker to be extra-careful in the early rounds.

Three belts are on the line - Tupou's WBO African title and Parker's WBO Oriental title and WBA Pacific belt.

NZN

[diehard]

Bowie Tupou's no footage policy is crazy, says Joseph Parker trainer Kevin Barry

Joseph Parker and Bowie Tupou come face to face at Friday's weigh-in.

Trainer Kevin Barry thinks Bowie Tupou might be lucky to have never watched a Joseph Parker fight live or even on a screen.

Tupou will take on New Zealand's rising heavyweight star in Invercargill on Saturday night, the highest ranked boxing bout to ever be staged in the country and the 32-year-old Tongan-born Australian has confessed he's never even seen Parker in action nor searched for any footage.

Barry, who trains Parker, struggles to believe Tupou but says it might be best for him personally that he hasn't.

"It seems a little crazy but some fighters are like that. Some fighters if they watch tape of their opponents they get frightened," Barry said. "I'm sure he listened top his trainer Jeff Fenech say the other day, that Parker is probably the fastest heavyweight in the world and that he had never seen a heavyweight as fast, and I haven't either.

"You can watch the tape and you hear people talking about it, but when you are in the ring and that jab is in your face it is a totally different story.

"He is probably doing himself a favour [not watching Parker's past fights]."

READ MORE
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*Trainer comfortable with small town approach

Tupou said he never watched footage of his opponents and wasn't about to start now.

"Every fighter is different," Tupou said. "I don't like watching my opponent, I watch myself and the mistakes I made so I make sure I don't make the same mistake. I study myself and what I've done wrong in every fight."

Parker weighed in at an impressive looking 107.5kg at Friday's weigh-in, while Tupou was at 120.5kg. Many in Tupou camp feel he's in the best shape ever and Barry isn't surprised.

Barry said, with his old mate Fenech in the corner, he was a dangerous proposition: "Jeff and I have been mates for many, many years, I don't like to disclose how many years, we were both young men. In fact we travelled the world together as amateurs, we were always great mates.

"He is a pretty dam good coach so for me it actually, it is nice little friendly challenge to have in him in the other corner. Like myself he is very thorough, he want leave any stone unturned, he'll be watching a lot of tape, together a good fight plan.

"He will get the best of what Bowie Tupou has to offer and I knew that, I said to Joseph from day one 'we'll get the best that Bowie has' so that is what we have trained for."

Parker showed Tupou plenty of respect when asked about his opponent following the weigh-in.

"This guy has got a lot of experience. He has been in America training for a while by top coaches Jeff Mayweather and Freddie Roach, so he has been around the game for a long time and he ios a dangerous fighter," Parker said.

"But we're up for challenges, we love challenges in our career as we make the way to the top. This is one of the challenges down here in Invercargill."

[gothenaki]

Ok guys - pick your round.
I'm going Parker TKO in 5 - $6
I put a lazy tenner on it

[gothenaki]

Klit asking for Joseph to help out again
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/70714485/wladimir-klitschko-seeks-joseph-parkers-help-again-to-prepare-for-tyson-fury-fight

[tm7]

I'm going to say Parker TKO in 4