10-11-2015, 05:03 PM
'Old dog' Kali Meehan excited by potential of 'young lion' Joseph Parker
Kali Meehan paid a visit to Hamilton Gardens ahead of his fight with Joseph Parker.
When the final bell rings, "old dog" Kali Meehan will go back to being a fan of "young lion" Joseph Parker. Until then, Parker is firmly in the old dog's crosshairs.
The 45-year-old boxing veteran Meehan will take the ring with 23-year-old Parker on Thursday night in Auckland in what should be Parker's biggest challenge to-date.
Meehan has fought three world champions in his time and has seen exciting young boxers come through the ranks before.
Parker is no different, although being an Auckland boy like himself, Meehan admits to being excited by what he's seen from Parker in previous fights.
That won't stop him from wanting to etch the first loss onto Parker's record though.
"You fight every fight to win," Meehan said during a visit to Hamilton.
"You want to beat everybody. That's part of the mentality as a sportsperson, but it is exciting too to watch [Joseph Parker] progress and see his career come along, the same as my son [Willis Meehan].
"I wish nothing but success for him, although I'm trying to beat him, you know. After this, win, lose or draw, I'll be supporting him for his fights.
"He's doing a great job. The boxing viewing public in New Zealand are excited and that's half the battle there."
READ MORE: Fury after Parker's help for Klitschko fight
In some ways, Meehan has always wanted to be in a position to test himself against the best up-and-comer, and this is that chance.
"I didn't plan too fight this long, but I always relished the thought of one day being the old dog fighting the young lion for some weird, crazy reason.
"Now, here that fight comes."
Parker has quickly risen to No 6 in the WBO world boxing rankings, as well as 13th in the WBA and 14th in the WBC.
His speed and power have emerged as two of his obvious gifts in the boxing ring, and are the major concerns for Meehan heading into their fight.
To prepare, Meehan has been sparring with his son, Willis, and others with speed and power in the ring.
With so much experience in his 47 fight career, Meehan believes Parker will be one of the best young fighters he's seen.
"I never look past any fight, and I go into every fight like it's my last, especially at this stage of my career," Meehan said.
"He's up there. He's a dangerous opponent, he really is, so I've had to prepare as best I could, which I'm sure I have.
"I've done so much hard sparring, and now I'm ready. It's fight time now."
Kali Meehan fights Joseph Parker on Thursday night at The Trusts Arena in Auckland.
- Stuff
Kali Meehan paid a visit to Hamilton Gardens ahead of his fight with Joseph Parker.
When the final bell rings, "old dog" Kali Meehan will go back to being a fan of "young lion" Joseph Parker. Until then, Parker is firmly in the old dog's crosshairs.
The 45-year-old boxing veteran Meehan will take the ring with 23-year-old Parker on Thursday night in Auckland in what should be Parker's biggest challenge to-date.
Meehan has fought three world champions in his time and has seen exciting young boxers come through the ranks before.
Parker is no different, although being an Auckland boy like himself, Meehan admits to being excited by what he's seen from Parker in previous fights.
That won't stop him from wanting to etch the first loss onto Parker's record though.
"You fight every fight to win," Meehan said during a visit to Hamilton.
"You want to beat everybody. That's part of the mentality as a sportsperson, but it is exciting too to watch [Joseph Parker] progress and see his career come along, the same as my son [Willis Meehan].
"I wish nothing but success for him, although I'm trying to beat him, you know. After this, win, lose or draw, I'll be supporting him for his fights.
"He's doing a great job. The boxing viewing public in New Zealand are excited and that's half the battle there."
READ MORE: Fury after Parker's help for Klitschko fight
In some ways, Meehan has always wanted to be in a position to test himself against the best up-and-comer, and this is that chance.
"I didn't plan too fight this long, but I always relished the thought of one day being the old dog fighting the young lion for some weird, crazy reason.
"Now, here that fight comes."
Parker has quickly risen to No 6 in the WBO world boxing rankings, as well as 13th in the WBA and 14th in the WBC.
His speed and power have emerged as two of his obvious gifts in the boxing ring, and are the major concerns for Meehan heading into their fight.
To prepare, Meehan has been sparring with his son, Willis, and others with speed and power in the ring.
With so much experience in his 47 fight career, Meehan believes Parker will be one of the best young fighters he's seen.
"I never look past any fight, and I go into every fight like it's my last, especially at this stage of my career," Meehan said.
"He's up there. He's a dangerous opponent, he really is, so I've had to prepare as best I could, which I'm sure I have.
"I've done so much hard sparring, and now I'm ready. It's fight time now."
Kali Meehan fights Joseph Parker on Thursday night at The Trusts Arena in Auckland.
- Stuff