Joseph Parker 33-3 (23) has been getting tips on how to defeat Deontay Wilder 43-2-1 (42) from the only man to beat him.
American power puncher Wilder, 38, was knocked out twice by current WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury 34-0-1 (24) following their split draw in the first fight of their trilogy.
Former WBC champion Wilder has fought just once since those back-to-back losses, the most recent of which occurred in October 2021. That was a first-round knockout of fringe contender Robert Helenius in October last year.
By contrast former WBO heavyweight champion Parker has boxed three time this year alone. His bout against Wilder at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on December will mark his fifth outing in 15 months.
The 31-year-old New Zealander has developed a close friendship with Fury, who he shares a trainer with in Andy Lee. That friendship has come in particularly handy in this camp.
“Tyson was able to give me some advice and some knowledge on fighting Deontay Wilder,” Parker told talkSPORT.
“The only difference is I’m not six-foot-nine with the longest reach, so whatever my strengths are I have to use them to the best of my ability.
“He has given me a few pointers and advice and he’s actually helped me with sparring so anytime I have needed Tyson’s help, he’s always been there, so thanks to him for always making time to help me, especially for this camp and this fight coming up.”
Wilder has warned Parker that if he thinks he is going to flatten him the way Fury is, he is in for a rude awakening.
“If Joseph Parker tries to walk me down, there are two words for that: Robert Helenius,” Wilder said recently.
“We knew each other very well, but my style had changed a bit from when we sparred. He wasn’t used to me being a mover. He was used to me sitting there, fighting fire with fire.
“When I switched it up, it knocked him off his game, which caused him to change his game plan up and he started lunging at me, trying to walk me down, and the first right hand I threw it knocked him out.
“If Joseph Parker comes out and fights fire with fire, he will be playing a dangerous game when it comes to me because of the power I have. Because when I come to punch, I punch through you, not just to you.
“It will be exciting to see his game plan, but when he feels the power the first time, his game plan will change. I’m looking forward to knocking him out. We were meant to fight many, many years ago, but he ran from me.”
Parker sees his recent activity as a key factor in his chances against Wilder.
“I feel it’s very important to be active because you’re always working, you’re always progressing, always getting better,” he explained.
“You’re working on your ringcraft, technique, skills, you’re not trying to get in shape because you’re already in shape.
“I think with Wilder having that long time off, we’ll soon see if he has that thing called ring rust which I know a lot of fighters do have when they haven’t fought for a long time.”
