04-14-2016, 02:41 AM
Parker talks Takam and Joshua
Interview/photo: Bryce Wilson
On May 21st at Vodafone Events Centre in South Auckland, New Zealand, unbeaten heavyweight Joseph Parker (18-0, 16 KOs) is set to face Carlos Takam (33-2-1, 25 KOs) in what will be an IBF title eliminator with the victor set to face IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. Many who follow the sport have labelled Parker as the ‘next big thing’ or at the very least part of the new guard set to revitalize boxing’s glamour division.
In facing Takam, Parker is set to take a giant leap up in the quality of opponent. It is a fight that should serve as a an accurate barometer as to whether the Kiwi prospect really is as good as some people believe or whether much more work remains to be done before he is ready to mix in the heady climes of the elite in the division, along with the Fury’s, Klitschko’s and Wilders of the world.
FightNews caught up with Joseph to get an update on camp so far, his feelings about having the Takam fight secured in his hometown of South Auckland and his thoughts on the Martin/Joshua fight last weekend.
Congratulations on securing the fight in New Zealand. A lot of people in New Zealand were expecting Vector Arena as the venue as it is Auckland’s biggest arena, but instead you’re fighting at the Vodafone Events Centre in South Auckland instead. Talk us through that decision?
Firstly the idea of fighting in New Zealand was so important for all of us, my trainer Kevin Barry, my promoters Duco and of course myself. We’ve had so much support in New Zealand and we knew the public has been waiting for a big fight like this. That gives me extra drive to put on a good show for those who have supported me in my career so far.
More specifically fighting in South Auckland, well that is my backyard. I used to live literally 10-15 minutes down the road from the arena we’ll be fighting in. It’s close to all my family and friends.
So familiarity played a big part in the choice of venue?
Exactly. This is the biggest fight of my career so it’s about fighting where we feel most comfortable. When I enter the arena I know where everything is, I’ve fought there a few times before, it’s so relaxing to know a place inside out I feel like I’m at home. It’s where I’m meant to be.
And I guess you must have driven past that venue many times as a kid. Did it ever occur to you that one day you would be headlining a place like that?
No, not all! We’ve driven past that place so many times as a family and I even fought there once on David Tua’s undercard as an amateur. But to one day be the one able to fill up that arena myself, it’s a great feeling and a humbling feeling to be able to do that in my hometown.
I’ve often wanted to ask a fighter this. What’s it like when you are driving to a venue and you see all the people streaming in and you realise that they are all coming to see you?
It’s definitely surreal and strange. You see all these cars parked on the side of the road and people walking to the venue and I’m driving there and I suddenly think ‘damn they’re coming to see me!’ It’s a crazy feeling no doubt but it also provides great excitement and helps get you into fight mode, you don’t want to let them down. It is something you have to get used to. I like to do the same thing myself when I go the MGM to watch say Floyd fight, I go as a fan
I wonder, not just as a young athlete but also as a guy trying to make a living is it tough to have people discussing how much you are earning, and what that preconceived notion might be? Because usually what someone makes is their own business.
Yes it’s a little weird because people read certain figures in the media and the immediate assumption is we’re making a lot, but that’s not always the actual truth. You have training costs, living costs and so forth. Don’t get me wrong, we’re doing alright and if I can fulfill my potential then I guess the bigger money will ultimately be there. I don’t tend to think of it too much.
I see you and Takam have engaged in a little bit of back and forth on Twitter. Are you enjoying having some more interaction with opponents before the fights? The reality is there are some decent trash talkers higher up the rankings that you will encounter.
Oh there are a lot of trash talkers in the heavyweight division. You’ve got a lot of guys that if they have the opportunity with me in the future they will talk the game. But it’s something you’ve got to learn, and how to adapt to it and how to control it. Our talking so far has been very very tame but it shows we still have a lot of respect but at the same time we’re both confidant moving into this fight.
Sparring wise how has it been going? I know that Kevin Barry has asked the sparring partners so far to not spare anything when coming at you.
Yeah the guys that we have so far, they’re putting pressure on looking to replicate what Takam will bring and I know Kevin is looking at introducing more sparring partners to keep them fresh and the intensity levels high and they will work me more. What we do believe from what we’ve experienced in the sparring is that everything we’ve practiced over the last three years is falling into place. It’s been the best camp of my career to date.
Realistically Takam’s best opportunity is to make this as rough and scrappy as he can. I know Kevin mentioned the word discipline when talking about this fight. That’s the key isn’t it?
Yes, the brawling type fight is the fight he has to come with. I’ve got some height on him, reach on him and I believe quicker hands as well so he has to find a way to get inside. We’ve been watching a lot of tape on him of course and he might not be the best mover but he makes up for it with pressure and by walking you down.
It’s fair to say in the past you have been lured into the odd brawl when you haven’t needed to. In a sense if you fight to your strengths you could almost make this a boring fight by being very clinical about it?
I agree, if I use what Kevin instructs me to use and with the tools I possess I can make this a much easier fight for myself. I know we say that in every fight it’s important to follow the game plan but never before in my career has there been a fight where it is more important to follow the plan to the absolute letter of what is laid out. We can make it a hard fight or we can make it a much easier fight for ourselves. It’s better to be smart and use your natural advantages than get lured into the other guy’s type of fight.
In the fights that you were most disciplined in as opposed to some of the fights where you maybe brawled a little more what do you think the difference was?
Honestly the fights where I had the best focus were the fights that presented the greatest challenge and dangers at the time: the Costa Junior fight, the Minto fight as well as when we fought Frans Botha, these were the fights where my discipline was at its best. And for this fight it will be at another level again.
We often talk seeing a fighter lift in intensity for big fights but have you seen a change in the intensity from your trainer Kevin Barry as well?
He’s definitely stepped up his game no. It’s important for both of us to step up and he really has. He’s brought ideas and structures into this camp that I haven’t seen before and it’s really helped push me to that next level.
He’s always believed that you have fought somewhat within yourself, but this may well be the fight where you get to showcase some of the things you’ve been working on in the gym?
This is going to be by far the most challenging fight I’ve ever been in and it’s going to bring the best out in me. Honestly I’m excited that we may get the opportunity to show the fans what we’ve been working on in the gym these past three years.
Finally, of course there was a fight with gigantic implications for your own career happening over the weekend. What did you make of Anthony Joshua’s win over Charles Martin?
Well of course I must first say my focus is on Carlos Takam right now! (Laughs) But yes I did watch the fight. I was picking Joshua to win and he did what he had to do to win the fight. He looked dominant and powerful. Saying that Charles Martin also looked somewhat overawed by the occasion, very nervous and he didn’t really offer anything up for Joshua.
It’s no secret that we’ve always wanted to fight Joshua, so in that sense I’m happy that he won. Like every fighter you do feel as though you see some holes and opportunities that you can capitalize on. We’d feel very confident in facing him as I’m sure he would do in facing us. It would make for a very crowd pleasing fight.
* * *
Now that Joshua has claimed his price of the heavyweight title, the preferred outcome for a resurgent heavyweight division would be for Parker to prevail over Takam and let the young guns line up each other’s undefeated records in what would surely be an epic encounter in London either later this year or early 2017.
Interview/photo: Bryce Wilson
On May 21st at Vodafone Events Centre in South Auckland, New Zealand, unbeaten heavyweight Joseph Parker (18-0, 16 KOs) is set to face Carlos Takam (33-2-1, 25 KOs) in what will be an IBF title eliminator with the victor set to face IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. Many who follow the sport have labelled Parker as the ‘next big thing’ or at the very least part of the new guard set to revitalize boxing’s glamour division.
In facing Takam, Parker is set to take a giant leap up in the quality of opponent. It is a fight that should serve as a an accurate barometer as to whether the Kiwi prospect really is as good as some people believe or whether much more work remains to be done before he is ready to mix in the heady climes of the elite in the division, along with the Fury’s, Klitschko’s and Wilders of the world.
FightNews caught up with Joseph to get an update on camp so far, his feelings about having the Takam fight secured in his hometown of South Auckland and his thoughts on the Martin/Joshua fight last weekend.
Congratulations on securing the fight in New Zealand. A lot of people in New Zealand were expecting Vector Arena as the venue as it is Auckland’s biggest arena, but instead you’re fighting at the Vodafone Events Centre in South Auckland instead. Talk us through that decision?
Firstly the idea of fighting in New Zealand was so important for all of us, my trainer Kevin Barry, my promoters Duco and of course myself. We’ve had so much support in New Zealand and we knew the public has been waiting for a big fight like this. That gives me extra drive to put on a good show for those who have supported me in my career so far.
More specifically fighting in South Auckland, well that is my backyard. I used to live literally 10-15 minutes down the road from the arena we’ll be fighting in. It’s close to all my family and friends.
So familiarity played a big part in the choice of venue?
Exactly. This is the biggest fight of my career so it’s about fighting where we feel most comfortable. When I enter the arena I know where everything is, I’ve fought there a few times before, it’s so relaxing to know a place inside out I feel like I’m at home. It’s where I’m meant to be.
And I guess you must have driven past that venue many times as a kid. Did it ever occur to you that one day you would be headlining a place like that?
No, not all! We’ve driven past that place so many times as a family and I even fought there once on David Tua’s undercard as an amateur. But to one day be the one able to fill up that arena myself, it’s a great feeling and a humbling feeling to be able to do that in my hometown.
I’ve often wanted to ask a fighter this. What’s it like when you are driving to a venue and you see all the people streaming in and you realise that they are all coming to see you?
It’s definitely surreal and strange. You see all these cars parked on the side of the road and people walking to the venue and I’m driving there and I suddenly think ‘damn they’re coming to see me!’ It’s a crazy feeling no doubt but it also provides great excitement and helps get you into fight mode, you don’t want to let them down. It is something you have to get used to. I like to do the same thing myself when I go the MGM to watch say Floyd fight, I go as a fan
I wonder, not just as a young athlete but also as a guy trying to make a living is it tough to have people discussing how much you are earning, and what that preconceived notion might be? Because usually what someone makes is their own business.
Yes it’s a little weird because people read certain figures in the media and the immediate assumption is we’re making a lot, but that’s not always the actual truth. You have training costs, living costs and so forth. Don’t get me wrong, we’re doing alright and if I can fulfill my potential then I guess the bigger money will ultimately be there. I don’t tend to think of it too much.
I see you and Takam have engaged in a little bit of back and forth on Twitter. Are you enjoying having some more interaction with opponents before the fights? The reality is there are some decent trash talkers higher up the rankings that you will encounter.
Oh there are a lot of trash talkers in the heavyweight division. You’ve got a lot of guys that if they have the opportunity with me in the future they will talk the game. But it’s something you’ve got to learn, and how to adapt to it and how to control it. Our talking so far has been very very tame but it shows we still have a lot of respect but at the same time we’re both confidant moving into this fight.
Sparring wise how has it been going? I know that Kevin Barry has asked the sparring partners so far to not spare anything when coming at you.
Yeah the guys that we have so far, they’re putting pressure on looking to replicate what Takam will bring and I know Kevin is looking at introducing more sparring partners to keep them fresh and the intensity levels high and they will work me more. What we do believe from what we’ve experienced in the sparring is that everything we’ve practiced over the last three years is falling into place. It’s been the best camp of my career to date.
Realistically Takam’s best opportunity is to make this as rough and scrappy as he can. I know Kevin mentioned the word discipline when talking about this fight. That’s the key isn’t it?
Yes, the brawling type fight is the fight he has to come with. I’ve got some height on him, reach on him and I believe quicker hands as well so he has to find a way to get inside. We’ve been watching a lot of tape on him of course and he might not be the best mover but he makes up for it with pressure and by walking you down.
It’s fair to say in the past you have been lured into the odd brawl when you haven’t needed to. In a sense if you fight to your strengths you could almost make this a boring fight by being very clinical about it?
I agree, if I use what Kevin instructs me to use and with the tools I possess I can make this a much easier fight for myself. I know we say that in every fight it’s important to follow the game plan but never before in my career has there been a fight where it is more important to follow the plan to the absolute letter of what is laid out. We can make it a hard fight or we can make it a much easier fight for ourselves. It’s better to be smart and use your natural advantages than get lured into the other guy’s type of fight.
In the fights that you were most disciplined in as opposed to some of the fights where you maybe brawled a little more what do you think the difference was?
Honestly the fights where I had the best focus were the fights that presented the greatest challenge and dangers at the time: the Costa Junior fight, the Minto fight as well as when we fought Frans Botha, these were the fights where my discipline was at its best. And for this fight it will be at another level again.
We often talk seeing a fighter lift in intensity for big fights but have you seen a change in the intensity from your trainer Kevin Barry as well?
He’s definitely stepped up his game no. It’s important for both of us to step up and he really has. He’s brought ideas and structures into this camp that I haven’t seen before and it’s really helped push me to that next level.
He’s always believed that you have fought somewhat within yourself, but this may well be the fight where you get to showcase some of the things you’ve been working on in the gym?
This is going to be by far the most challenging fight I’ve ever been in and it’s going to bring the best out in me. Honestly I’m excited that we may get the opportunity to show the fans what we’ve been working on in the gym these past three years.
Finally, of course there was a fight with gigantic implications for your own career happening over the weekend. What did you make of Anthony Joshua’s win over Charles Martin?
Well of course I must first say my focus is on Carlos Takam right now! (Laughs) But yes I did watch the fight. I was picking Joshua to win and he did what he had to do to win the fight. He looked dominant and powerful. Saying that Charles Martin also looked somewhat overawed by the occasion, very nervous and he didn’t really offer anything up for Joshua.
It’s no secret that we’ve always wanted to fight Joshua, so in that sense I’m happy that he won. Like every fighter you do feel as though you see some holes and opportunities that you can capitalize on. We’d feel very confident in facing him as I’m sure he would do in facing us. It would make for a very crowd pleasing fight.
* * *
Now that Joshua has claimed his price of the heavyweight title, the preferred outcome for a resurgent heavyweight division would be for Parker to prevail over Takam and let the young guns line up each other’s undefeated records in what would surely be an epic encounter in London either later this year or early 2017.