. Parker vows not to make Joshua’s mistake
“Dillian Whyte and Joseph Parker share common ground after both suffering their first professional defeat to Anthony Joshua”
The two fighters share common ground after both suffering their first professional defeat to current IBF, WBA ‘super’ and WBO kingpin Anthony Joshua.
Whyte – whose dramatic bout with AJ back in December 2015 was fuelled on a deep-running feud – was knocked out by his bitter rival in the seventh round after wobbling him early on in the fight.
As for Parker, he has come in for criticism from Whyte for his cautious performance in a points defeat to Joshua four months ago.
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“I think his performance was cautious but it was also cowardly as well,” Whyte said in Sky Sports’ The Gloves Are Off.
“Okay, I understand it’s a big fight and you need to be cautious.
“But six, seven rounds into the fight, you’re in the home fighter’s country, he’s world champion and he’s golden boy, you know you’re behind on the scorecards.
“There comes a time when you’ve got to go after it and I just feel that he was too much of a coward to make the decision he needed to make.”
Both men will hope victory in their much-anticipated bout at the O2 Arena today will propel them into contention of a rematch with Joshua.
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JOSEPH PARKER regrets not going all out to knock out Anthony Joshua but has vowed to go for broke against Dillian Whyte.
The Kiwi fighter lost his WBO heavyweight title when he was outpointed by Joshua in March.
Parker, 26, felt he should have thrown caution to the wind against the British star when the fight started to get away from him.
But the New Zealander promised to “damage” Whyte when they meet at the O2 today in a bid to earn a rematch with Joshua next year.
He said: “I’m here to do damage, I’m here to punch with bad intentions.
“I have learned from that Joshua fight, I was not aggressive enough and I wasn’t mongrel enough.
“I said I wanted to hurt people from now on and I really mean that, we are in the hurt business.
“A win is good but you want to put on a dominant performance.
“I want to take more risks, playing safe all the time makes people think you are a spoiling fighter. As much as I want to box and move and win, I have to go to war.
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“I feel an impressive victory, in great fashion, could get that Joshua rematch.
“We have to put on a great show and hopefully the winner will get Joshua if he doesn’t get that big fight with Deontay Wilder.”
Parker pocketed around £6m for the Joshua fight and he could earn close to seven-figures for this weekend’s clash.
But he admitted money is no longer his motivation, with his family’s security in place, as he now aims to cement his legacy in the sport.
Parker added: “Am I a lot richer? Maybe I have better shoes. It is a blessing to be able to look after people in life.
“Money can take away hunger but mine is there more than ever.
“The boxing legends were all two or three-time world champions, I have done it once but I want to do it again and be unified.
“I want to go hard for another five years. Finish at 30 or 31 and do something else, maybe a pilot.
“My family is secure so I am boxing now for passion and love and the glory.”