Joseph Parker has shrugged off comments from Deontay Wilder that he had an easier lead up to their bout last year.
Former WBO heavyweight champion Parker 34-3 (23) handed out a one-sided beating to former WBC champion Wilder 43-3-1 (42) at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on December 23. The 32-year-old New Zealander scored a lopsided unanimous decision win with scores of 118-111, 120-108 and 118-110.
But to hear Wilder tell it, he was at a disadvantage going in to the fight.
“It was a boring fight, nothing really happened,” the 38-year-old American said to ESNews. “I went right back to training the next day. He really didn’t do nothing, they just went off the little flurries or whatever.
“In the training for that I had to travel two times, 20 hours of travelling. And those guys were already in Europe, they were only two-three hours away. I’m not complaining, I’m just saying what I had to go through.”
Parker struck down those comments overnight.
“Every fighter has to go through different things in camp. Before the [Dillian] Whyte camp, we locked in the fight then I flew 17 hours to Dubai, a three hour wait, then eight hours to Ireland to start my training camp,” Parker said to iFL TV.
“I was jetlagged for a week, it’s what a fighter goes through, good or not it is what it is. It’s all part of trying to prepare for a fight. I’m not sure where he’s coming from, he did travel back and forth, we had to do the promotion, there was a lot of time travelling.
“When I travelled to Saudi for the fight, jet lag is a real thing, but as a professional fighter and the team around you – you have to make the right decision about when you have to be there and allow yourself the time to adjust and get used to the time zone and wherever you’re fighting.”
Parker returns to action against Chinese southpaw Zhilei ‘Big Bang’ Zhang 26-1-1 (21) at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on March 8.
“I’m preparing for the best version of Zhang,” Parker said. “I know a lot of people are saying that he’s 40, he’s old and he’s going to fade. A lot of people are favouring him and saying I’m young and hungry and got speed and movement… I will bang the ‘Big Bang’.
“I’m not underestimating him. I don’t think he’s old and slow. Listen, Zhang is coming with momentum and he’s on point. So I want the best Zhang there is because he’s going to bring out the best in me.”
Parker has hit a purple patch in his career, boxing four times last year for four victories. He credits his trainer Andy Lee for getting him to perform at his best.
“We’re doing the best prep and with each camp, I feel I’m going up and up,” Parker said. “There’s only one way I can prove that I’m going up by showing it on fight night. I believe by going to Saudi Arabia and finishing by prep there, I believe I’m going to be primed and ready for another good performance.
“Training with Andy Lee for the last two or three years, I’m finally understanding what he’s trying to teach me. It takes a while to ingrain things because there’s already other things that have been ingrained in me.”
