Joseph Parker has figured it out. For the New Zealand heavyweight, the journey must take priority over the destination.
So far, that journey has seen Parker take on the likes of Anthony Joshua, Dillian Whyte, Derek Chisora and Hughie Fury. As Britons, they all share something in common, though only Joshua and Whyte were able to overcome the 30-year-old, who went the distance against both men – just as he did in two winning efforts against Chisora and in his victory over Fury.
On Saturday, Parker once again returns to the UK for another clash with a fighter from this mourning kingdom, hoping to run straight through Joe Joyce as his journey back to heavyweight gold continues.
“I have no issues if it goes 12 rounds, but I’m gonna break him down,” Parker says, deceivingly gently. “He hasn’t been in with someone like me before. I know that he walks down a lot of fighters and puts pressure on them and throws a lot of punches, but a lot of the fighters that he did fight don’t have the movement, don’t have the speed, don’t have the experience. Everyone they’ve put in front of them, he’s beaten – and he’s stopped a lot of them. I want to be the first to give him a loss.”
Joyce is almost as enigmatic as the softly-spoken Parker (30-3, 21 knockouts). The Briton is often viewed as a rising star, a perception to which his 14-0, knockout-heavy record contributes, as well as the novelty of his professional career following his silver medal at the 2016 Olympics; however, Joyce is 37 – seven years Parker’s senior.
Parker’s relative youth and experience compared to Joyce place pressure on the Kiwi, though he draws calmness from confidence in his work with coach Andy Lee, to whom he was introduced by Tyson Fury.
“It’ll be the experience, it’ll be the work I put into camp, and it’ll be the gameplan that Andy Lee’s come up with; all of those things together are gonna beat this guy,” Parker insists, again speaking as though there is someone else in the room whom he is trying not to wake.
“I’ll beat Joe Joyce on 24 September, and then I’ll have to fight him again in December. There’s a rematch clause, so I’ll have to beat him twice.”
The build-up to Parker’s fight with Joyce, which takes place at the Manchester Arena, has been amusing. The heavyweights have traded taunting videos, but they seem to have been sent in good spirits.
“I’ve met Joe before, a few times, and he’s a nice guy,” Parker says. “We’re going back and forth on social media, but ultimately we both can’t talk crap – and we’re not very good at it. But when we fight, we’re gonna fight hard; I think we’re gonna do most of our talking in the ring, both of us.
“I think we should leave the crap-talking to Tyson and to Deontay Wilder, to everyone else. Every fight’s the same; whether it’s someone who talks a lot of crap and s*** or someone who’s nice, it’s all the same. I wanna go in there and get the job done, and beat them up.”
Parker’s antagonisation of Joyce has no doubt been influenced by Fury, the WBC champion having been a key part of the New Zealand native’s camp – just as Parker helped Fury prepare for a successful title defence against Whyte in April.
“When he’s around – when he’s in the gym, when we go for runs – he’s never shy to give his advice and help,” Parker says. “If he sees anything that he feels he can help with, he’ll always mention it. Obviously the reason why I’m in Morecambe is because of Tyson, the reason I’ve linked with Andy is because of Tyson. He’s given us the gym to use, the house to live in, and the whole team.
“He’s just a very positive person to be around when he’s training. He pushes everyone and he includes everyone. Say we have body sparring and there’s someone here who’s not really a fighter, he’ll include everyone. Everyone gets among it. He’s very influential and revived my career back to where it is now. I’m just thankful for everything he’s done and continues to do.”
The winner of Joyce vs Parker will emerge as interim WBO heavyweight champion, meaning a clash with Fury could be on the cards next year if the WBC title holder has secured undisputed status by then. But Parker, who previously reigned as WBO champion, is not thinking about a potential bout with his friend.
“I’m not really focused on championships at the moment,” he says. “With each fight that I have, I want to give a good account of myself and really put things on display that I’ve been working on. Then people will know that we’re not here to muck around; we’re here to stay and put on some exciting fights. The championship is further down the track.”
That attitude has proven beneficial for Parker, who has crafted a six-fight win streak since suffering the only two losses of his pro career, in back-to-back bouts with Joshua and Whyte in 2018.
“That fighter that was fighting Joshua and Whyte, that was a good fighter who went the rounds but wasn’t positive or aggressive. I was very passive and defensive,” Parker admits. “The fighter that I am now... I don’t want to compare, I’m a totally different fighter. I’m far from the complete package, but I’m learning and enjoying taking in things that I’m taught every single day in every training session.
“One day I’m gonna be the complete package, but you’re never gonna stop learning. It’s very exciting; now going into fights, I wanna fight. And I have no doubts, I have no questions. I know what I want and I know what I’m gonna do.”
Joyce vs Parker takes place on Saturday 24 September and is now available to purchase exclusively on BT Sport Box Office for £19.95 in the UK. Coverage starts at 6pm BST.
