11-18-2020, 08:01 PM
Boxing: 'He was the dominant heavyweight' - Joseph Parker on his first loss to Junior Fa
18 Nov, 2020 04:31 PM
Joseph Parker says his loss to Junior Fa during their amateur days caused a big shift in him, ultimately leading to becoming the number one ranked boxer in New Zealand.
In a video released by boxing promoters Duco, Parker showed the public inside his training camp in preparation for his heavyweight clash against Fa.
Parker said his first defeat at the hands of Fa – the duo has fought each other four times in their amateur careers, with each boxer winning twice – came as a shock after a string of wins, one that made him change his approach to the sport.
"He was the dominant heavyweight on the scene before I came through," Parker said. "In that first fight I did lose against him.
"It was a different experience because I was coming through and I was winning, winning, winning, then I came across Junior Fa and I lost my first fight against him. And that was a different feeling.
"From then, I promised myself and my dad that we were going to train harder and do things a lot better than what we were doing at that time."
Parker also spoke about the impact that having his brother John, not just in this training camp, but throughout his life to help him become the best boxer he can be.
"John and I trained together ever since we were really young," he said. "There's nothing like training alongside blood, my brother. For me having John there, not only in the fights, but in training … he pushes me to a different level.
"They're the ones that can tell me 'you're not training hard enough or you're not focused or you're not resting enough'. Because they've seen it from the beginning."
18 Nov, 2020 04:31 PM
Joseph Parker says his loss to Junior Fa during their amateur days caused a big shift in him, ultimately leading to becoming the number one ranked boxer in New Zealand.
In a video released by boxing promoters Duco, Parker showed the public inside his training camp in preparation for his heavyweight clash against Fa.
Parker said his first defeat at the hands of Fa – the duo has fought each other four times in their amateur careers, with each boxer winning twice – came as a shock after a string of wins, one that made him change his approach to the sport.
"He was the dominant heavyweight on the scene before I came through," Parker said. "In that first fight I did lose against him.
"It was a different experience because I was coming through and I was winning, winning, winning, then I came across Junior Fa and I lost my first fight against him. And that was a different feeling.
"From then, I promised myself and my dad that we were going to train harder and do things a lot better than what we were doing at that time."
Parker also spoke about the impact that having his brother John, not just in this training camp, but throughout his life to help him become the best boxer he can be.
"John and I trained together ever since we were really young," he said. "There's nothing like training alongside blood, my brother. For me having John there, not only in the fights, but in training … he pushes me to a different level.
"They're the ones that can tell me 'you're not training hard enough or you're not focused or you're not resting enough'. Because they've seen it from the beginning."