A new training regime and fine tuning across the past 18 months has Joseph Parker ready to head into one of the most important training camps of his boxing career.
Last night Parker flew out to Ireland, where he’ll spend the next two months training before taking on Englishman Daniel Dubois for the IBF world heavyweight title in Saudi Arabia. He’ll train through Christmas Day and his birthday in early January.
Parker hasn’t fought since last March but has been carrying on with his new workload and specific training techniques under American UFC and combat sport training guru George Lockhart.
“There's a reason why we do it and the purpose and science backs it up. I love training way more now, it’s like being a kid again, it keeps you interested, more than just during the grind. We’ve learned so much about my passion for the sport of boxing and for training and now learning about the body and what happens to the body when you smash it and you recover."
"It’s crazy that I've taken 12 years in ups and downs, but now I'm fully understanding what I'm doing. I wake up every day happy to train."
Parker spoke to 1News' Andrew Saville before heading to Ireland ahead of February's world title bout with Daniel Dubois. (Source: 1News)
He now trains on the day of a fight, to calm nerves and flush out adrenalin. He’ll base himself in Saudi Arabia for three weeks before the world title fight and train at 3am local time. The fight itself is at the same time, working in with prime time TV in the UK.
Parker’s workload is all about quality, not quantity, as is often the case with boxing training.
He’s weighing in around 120 kilograms before heading to Ireland. Parker will lose four to five kilograms in training and sparring over the next month or so, then look to weigh in heavy for his showdown against the bulky Dubois.
"For breakfast, on a light day I have three potatoes, on a heavy day I have four potatoes, five potatoes, five eggs, two or three chicken thighs, black pudding, bacon rashes. That’s just for breakfast. That’s 1200 to 1500 calories alone."
'I'm a totally different fighter'
The 32-year-old has transformed from his previous world title fights against Andy Ruiz in 2016 and Anthony Joshua in 2018. He not only weighs more but is bigger.
"I'm a totally different fighter, the reason why I say that is because I'm a lot more mature. I have better structure. I have good balance in my life and different motivation.
"Back then, I feel like I was doing it for myself, but more so for others, for New Zealand, for Samoa, more for my coach, Kevin Barry at the time, my dad and family. But now that I have my wife and kids, I feel like my motivation is different.
"I'm doing it more for me now. I want to be two-time world champion. I want to be the absolute best in the world."
Parker over the past 12 months has had huge wins over Deontay Wilder and Zhi Zhang - fights not too many people expected him to win. Those victories, a career comeback and his new regime have given him a new glint in his eye.
"I feel like I found a perfect formula. I feel like what I'm doing now is what I love because I know exactly what I'm doing every single day. Some days we have to tune it back, but some days we push it to the limit.
"As a fighter, when you know what you're doing and you understand it, you appreciate it and you love it."
It’s that renewed love of boxing that Parker is hoping will push him to a second world heavyweight title and the hopes of even bigger global fights to come.
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