Parker v ??
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With Fa it always seems like his trainers have banked in his ability to lower the boom. No cardio no real combinations. As said "very basic". It's a shame because he has real power but not much else. I still back him to make a title run at some stage though. Just needs better trainers.
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@raznomore He could also commit to his jab a bit more as he does have a pretty decent jab, he just doesn't use it enough for my liking, and yes he does need better trainers. At this stage of his career though, I can't see him making any title run I reckon everyone in the HW top 30 beats him.
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@african-monkey totally agree in the jab and overstated the title run. I think he will get a fight for a title eventually because I expect the titles to change hands a few times in the next few years.
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Just reading some of the comments made by Parker on The Gloves Are Off.
He sounds very calm and collected. I know what is likely to happen is Parker gets dealt to and worse than the Jab-a-thon that was Tua's title shot. But he seems legit ready for this. Joshua was respectful while also confident but there is an edge to Parker I have not seen before. I hope it carries into the fight.
Credit NZ Herald but Im not linking to it...
"I want him to tell me how he's going to knock me out," Anthony Joshua asks the interviewer sitting between himself and Joseph Parker. "What round do you want?", replies Parker.
And so goes the back and forth between the two heavyweights in their Gloves are Off interview which was shot in January and is currently screening on Sky Sports UK.
The face-to-face between the two protagonists who will meet in Cardiff on April 1 NZT has become a traditional fixture for Sky, a major backer of Joshua's, but rarely has he been as subdued as he is in this one against Parker.
Joshua appears to have enormous respect for Parker (just as he had for Wladmir Klitschko before his epic win over the former champion at Wembley in April last year), due to the New Zealand-Samoan's upbringing and particularly his amateur background, and it will have grown after this performance.
A stoney-faced Parker doesn't concede a centimetre in the 15-minute face-off, an attitude he will need to take to the ring with him in front of a sold-out crowd of 80,000 at the Principality Stadium.
The 26-year-old Parker has a comeback for everything his 28-year-old opponent says. It would have been understandable if he had looked a little uncertain at times under the bright lights in front of the similarly undefeated Joshua, but there is none of that and all credit to him.
"This fight's exciting," Parker says. "He's a young champion, I'm a young champion. There are belts on the line. Come March 31 I'm going to chase him around; my goal is to beat him up and knock him out. That's what I want to do."
Joshua: "I'm not going to let him catch me. I don't think he's got enough power in those hands to detonate on my chin and knock me out. And when I'm standing there and coming back, I want to see how he unfolds."
Parker: "He doesn't move as well as I do. The way to beat him will be speed and movement. I don't think he can catch me."
Joshua: "He says I've got a glass chin, I want to see if he's got the power to detonate on it.
Parker: "Oh trust me, I've got the power."
Joshua: "Are you gong to knock me out?"
Parker: "Yeah, of course I am."
Joshua: "I may not be as durable, but I can definitely take a punch, and get up and keep going, and get the win."
Joshua, ranked the top heavyweight in the world by the influential Ring magazine (who rate Parker as the "dark horse" of the division), is an Olympic gold medallist, and has won all 20 of his professional fights by knockout.
And yet, after only taking up the sport at the age of 18, he has always appeared conscious of his lack of a long amateur background. In the ring after he knocked out Klitschko, he told the crowd: "I'm not perfect, but I'm trying."
His concession that he's not as durable as Parker appears a significant one and he listens carefully as Parker tells interviewer Johnny Nelson, a former cruiserweight, his brief life story.
Parker: "I was born in New Zealand. I'm a New Zealand-Samoan. My parents were both born in Samoa and came to New Zealand for a brighter future. My dad is named after Jack Dempsey, so his name's Dempsey. He has a passion for the sport and he introduced myself and my younger brother to it.
"At a young age, about four or five, we started hitting pads. At the age of 12 I had my first amateur fight. I won that. At the age of 16 I started travelling the world representing my country and from then on I thought I could turn this into a profession because I love the sport so much."
Asked about Parker's strength's, Joshua says: "His background… he's solid because of where his parents have come from, that's something you can't take away. For a man who was boxing since [age] five, I give you credit because that's experience that you can't take away. It's just a clash of the titans – JP against AJ, AJ against JP, let's rock and roll."
Parker is asked how Joshua's many British fans would react to a defeat: "I think it would be very hard for them to handle it, or even accept it," he says, adding: "A defeat will only make him better and he can bounce back from it."
Joshua: "It will kill me, I don't want to lose, I don't want to lose."
At the end the pair are asked if they will shake hands. They do, with Parker saying: "Good luck and may the best champion win."
A psychological round one to Parker.
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I'm definitely going in thinking AJ is the 70/30 favourite - BUT, I do think Parker can take him. But he'll need to fight a near perfect fight and that's the bit that worries me. I think we've seen Parker stagnate in the last couple of years and while he's still fast as a mofo, we haven't seen genuine stopping power, or real guile in the ring.
I'd love to believe the guff about AJ's chin, but that's bullshit imo. Sure he might not have the best chin, but can you get anywhere in the heavyweight division if you are made of glass, or as fragile as Parker and co are making out? I doubt it.
Do think Joe will have the edge in fitness - but again, will he use that edge over AJ, or piss it away with flurries of punches that do fark all. It was a few years ago but I remember Joe being gassed late in the fight against Ruiz and almost going down. If Ruiz had been a touch fitter I don't know if we'd be having this conversation!
Ok, I think that's enough glass half empty to keep secretly hoping for a Parker win.
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I think we find out a lot fairly early ,
How he handles the exchanges ,
if the difference in power and accuracy is significant , be concerned .
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I think the description of dark horse applies with JP.
He looks, from what we are seeing, to be a fitter, faster version of what we have seen over his past string of fights. A part of me thinks this may have been a cunning plan concocted by Barry, who has been here before with a fighter that was very well known in strengths and weaknesses. I suspect a bit of powder has been kept dry this time, partly to lure AJ into taking the fight, partly to add some surprise.
Whether the ability and skill is enough to pull off the plan will be another matter. -
I wondered if Barry and JP were smart enough to make the Fury fight look like a shit show. But then the idea is always to make a statement so the big money comes and comes sooner rather than later. I also think it's giving Barry far too much credit. He's a machismo throwback whos pep talks go a long the lines of "you can do it!" and "you've got to dig deep Joe".
I have seen some piss poor strategy across the Ruiz, Takam, last minute stand in and Fury fights. He always throws in combination but it's lazy, defensiveness alot of the time and inaccurate. I honestly think theres enough power there to do the job but if he's sloppy like he has been over the course of those troublesome fights he'll be flipping burgers at Burger King not endorsing them.
If he stays away, is patient and let's Anthony swing and miss then he is in with a big chance. Top heavy AJ may have trimmed up but he's still a monster and I think he's good for 7 rounds before his arms are fucked. JP is going to move more and throw more than Klitschko did and I think that will bode well for him if he can avoid that piston straight right and the canon uppercut.
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Yeah i wouldnt think they would try and be that clever , too risky , just dont think things have run as smoothly as they wouldve liked ,
My biggest fear going off his latest fights , he likes to lunge forward and throw punches in bunches , but its been easily telegraphed , one two three or one two three four , most of it being taken easily on the gloves , but at the end of the combo he has these moments where he kind of gets caught in no mans land with his hands down within punching range ,
I can see AJ sitting back , and he is a good counter puncher , blocking , waiting , then crack ,
I noticed Klitchko gave AJ problems at times circling him moving anti clockwise away from Joshuas right hand , AJ looked frustrated and just threw loopy left hands at him while he did this , hope Barry has taken notice .
Lets hope they have come up with a good fight plan
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UFC apparently want to throw their entire cheque book at AJ. Talking $600m for multiple fights. To me this seems like utter BS but we'll soon see. Im not linking to a website, just know that its on multiple fights sites and major news sites.
This added with the mega fight proposed between Joshua and Wilder there could be a major anticlimax coming.
Parker is quietly getting his camp concluded, a little fanfare, a little interest. Mean while AJ is about to wrestle Thunderlips.....There's just a sense that while AJ and Hearn say Parker is all they are concerned about you know they are all thinking about the houses they will be buying their extended family members and the rari's they'll be driving after the fight with Wilder. This is the first half of Rocky 3.
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@raznomore said in Parker v ??:
I wondered if Barry and JP were smart enough to make the Fury fight look like a shit show. But then the idea is always to make a statement so the big money comes and comes sooner rather than later. I also think it's giving Barry far too much credit. He's a machismo throwback whos pep talks go a long the lines of "you can do it!" and "you've got to dig deep Joe".
I pretty much gave up on the idea that sports people keep huge cards up their sleeves at the '99 RWC (loads of people were saying John Hart was keeping his powder dry).
Only thing with boxing is that a couple of decent punches at the right time can win it from nowhere.
Joshua definitely the favourite, but Parker is certainly not out of it. If it goes the distance, though, I expect AJ to win.
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@bovidae I reckon he's rattled and that's why he's carrying on like that. He might not like JP but why not talk to the media? When I lived in London I worked with a guy based in Watford who said he had a bit of a rep around Watford for being a bit of a street thug. Thought maybe it was Tall Poppy/Sour Grapes but heard it a few times during the short time I worked there. I'm not convinced by his 'Holier than thou' act - he's like the Adam Gilchrist of boxing.
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@chiefy07 He's as fake as they come. Just look at the way he went off at Dominic Breazeale when he thought the cameras were turned off before their fight and his racism when having a go at Eddie Chambers on twitter not long ago which got swept under the carpet. Even Dillian Whyte called him out on his fake stay humble stay hungry rubbish a while back. I suppose he was an ex drug dealer so it is to be expected.
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How I am at work and how I am at home are two very different things. I do not have a problem with AJ being nice for the cameras. If Kids look at him think I want to be like him, that persona anyway, all good.
Just so long as he's not a doing a Jon Jones I have no problem with this type of stuff.
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Won't link to it but the Herald has a article on him and Parker really is looking relaxed ahead of the biggest day of his career. I really, really hope he brings it. If he doesn't win I hope its a war where everyone applauds his losing effort. There's just something happening here. a swagger, a confidence that doesn't seem to be built on false bravado and its got me really excited about his prospects. I think he truly believes in himself. That is only part of what will get the job done but he won't win without self belief.
In saying that I'm sure Shane Cameron really believed too...
