Kiwi heavyweight boxer Joseph Parker has revealed what his biggest regret was from his title bout with Anthony Joshua, saying issues spawned well-before fight night.
Parker opened up about the his heavyweight title unification fight in boxing podcast The Boxing Files and said losing the WBA and IBF belts to Joshua came down to preparation.
Prior to the 2018 fight in Cardiff, Parker had surgery on his elbows while the details of the bout were finalised.
That led to some serious weight gain afterwards.
“I’d had elbow surgery, so I wasn’t taking training too seriously,” Parker said on The Boxing Files.
“I went into camp at 123kgs, and I needed to come down to 107kgs, so the body is going through this big stress.”
It meant he and trainer Kevin Barry spent more time on his fitness and getting down to a decent weight than the strategy work he needed at their Las Vegas camp.
“When I look at things outside of the training camp, and outside of the fight, I should have went into camp at a better weight. I was in New Zealand relaxed and having a good time.
“I should have gone into camp at a better weight and started off healthier and a lot more in shape. Whereas I went into camp to lose weight and get into shape.
“I should have been using it as a way to work on technique and skills to get better.”
Instead, Parker got bogged down in a frustrating fight with Joshua as the Brit refused to engage in extended brawls.
Parker went on to lose the fight and his titles, but he earned some respect from pundits for being the first to go the distance against Joshua.
“He boxed better than I thought. When I watched his previous fights he came out and chased you down, and he liked to brawl and fight,” Parker said reflecting on Joshua.
“Whereas in this fight he adapted and changed, and he was able to box a bit better than I thought he was able to box."
Parker then went on to lose to another British heavyweight, Dillian Whyte, who also beat him on a points decision four months later in London.
He said he’s learned a lot since those defeats – three consecutive wins since then helping his case – and now wants another crack at both British fighters.
“Along the way I’ve made a lot of mistakes, I’ve had failures, but I want to fight those guys I’ve lost to, I want to fight Anthony Joshua, I want to fight Dillian Whyte, and I believe if I do fight them again and I do everything right and actually go into camp at a better weight and use what I’ve learned from those first two fights I can do a lot better and I can beat them.’’
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