Joseph Parker ready to upset the odds against Deontay Wilder after another Irish fight camp with Andy Lee

JOSEPH PARKER is ready to swim with sharks in Saudi – after preparing with dips in Dublin’s Forty Foot.

The New Zealand boxer meets dangerous Deontay Wilder in Riyadh on Saturday night as part of a huge night of heavyweight action.

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Joseph Parker trains with his head coach Andy Lee during the media workout ahead of the Heavyweight fight between Deontay Wilder and Joseph Parker

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Deontay Wilder squares up with Joseph Parker in Saudi ahead of Saturday’s fight

The winner of his contest is in line to take on the victory of the main event between Anthony Joshua and Otto Wallin.

And while the organisers have already stated that a potential Wilder-Joshua bout is signed, Parker and coach Andy Lee are out to upset their best-laid plans.

The pair have been working together in Dublin for camps since linking up in 2021.

And Parker – who is away from his family as he prepares for action – is determined to make the sacrifices count.

He told The Rocky Road boxing podcast: “When I first linked up with Andy, that’s when I first came to Ireland, back in 2021. We set up base here.

“And then we moved from Ireland to England, back to Ireland, and I was here in March/April with my family, sent them home,

“Then I came back for camp, had a fight in May, had a fight in October, then I was back to Ireland again.

“The set-up that we have now, I love it. I stay in Dalkey, Andy was able to organise the house with one of his best mates so it’s a nice place to stay.

“We’ve got the Forty Foot up the road where I can jump into the water. It’s cold but I think there are benefits for recovery.

“There’s no need for ice baths when you have the water right there next to you.

“We’ve got our local Tesco which we’re shopping at, we’ve got our butcher and they’ve been looking after us with meat.

“Just being here in Ireland, the support and the love has been amazing.

DUBLIN CAMP

“Andy is based in Dun Laoghaire and we train in Ballybrack BC.

“I’m really enjoying my time here. I’m making the most of it. and I’m happy every day.

“The only hard part is being away from my wife and kids but this is the sacrifice you have to make.

“I’ve got four daughters, aged one, four, five and seven. It’s tough to be away – my wife is pregnant again.

“Without her love and support, and her patience and strength, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do.

“I leave the country, and for me, I love training, I love fighting, I love being in camp. But I do miss my family very much.

“Every day when I wake up, I think of them and say I’m going to smash it. I’m going to make the most of being away.

“When I call home, morning and night, there’s tears from the kids, ‘Dad, we miss you and can’t wait to have you back’.

“I say to them, ‘Patience – I’ll be back very soon’. Every day, you have to make the most of it to make it worth being away.”

When SunSport visited Parker in Ballybrack, he did 12 rounds of sparring with four local amateur boxers – Adam Olaniyan, Martin McDonagh, Harry Geraghty and  Illia Mtsariashvili.

Lee was overseeing everything, from the ghetto blaster – with Michael Jackson blaring out – to the in-ring action as Parker bounced around four the up-and-comers.

The pair met through WBC heavyweight champ Tyson Fury, Lee’s cousin.

Parker was a sparring partner of Fury’s, while Lee joined his training team. They were like ships in the night, though, until the Kiwi started looking for a new coach.

He added: “I was looking at working with another trainer before I made the move.

“I said, ‘I’ll call Tyson and get his views’. And when I called him, he said not to train with anyone else, ‘I’ve got the best trainer for you – let me see if he’s available’.

“So he called Andy, then called me, and next thing you know we’ve linked up.

“After a few calls with Andy, seven days later I’m on a plane to Ireland to meet up with him, to train and to prepare for the Derek Chisora fight.

“It was a quick transition from the last trainer to the next. But as soon as I arrived into Ireland, we clicked straight away.

“There were a lot of things that I learned right off the first training session. Even now, I feel like I’m still learning, progressing and trying different things.”

Was he a fan of Lee’s?

The Limerick southpaw was a savvy operator in the ring during his career but his knockout wins over the likes of Carl Daniels, Craig McEwan, John Jackson and Matt Korobov made him a cult hero worldwide.

Parker said: “I watch a lot of big fights. I saw Andy’s big fights and his knockouts. I didn’t really know Andy but I definitely saw him.”

They hit it off quickly when they started working together.

So far the only hiccup has been the stoppage defeat to Joe Joyce last year.

LIVING IN IRELAND

On his first impressions of Ireland, Parker added: “I liked it. I was living in town with Andy’s in-laws.

“I had a nice set-up there. I had a guy bringing food, I had a shop, Dunnes – Dunnes? – I could walk down to and grab all my stuff, and I had a gym that wasn’t too far from where we were staying. It was good.”

Lee chimes in: “Cathal O’Grady’s gym.”

Parker added: “We went to the gym, did our work, he had heaters in there and everything, it was all great. When I ran around the park with everyone, it was good.

“I felt like the community really welcomed me in.

“There’s a lot of things along the way that we’re trialling. We try this and try that. But now we’ve got it to the point where we’re very happy with everything and going into the fight, there’s no real worries.”

After the Joyce loss, Lee paid tribute to his man, saying: “Joseph has a heart bigger than this whole arena.”

The trust between them is clear, and will have to be as they go in against the explosive Wilder who has 42 knockouts in 43 wins, with two losses – both to Fury.

Parker said: “In the trainer-fighter relationship, you have to have trust. And you have to really rely on each other.

“It’s not half a**ed. You can’t have a relationship with the trainer if you don’t trust the person or if you don’t get along.

 “If we weren’t clicking then it wouldn’t work. And we wouldn’t be getting the success that we’re having now.”

Lee was in Fury’s corner for both wins over Wilder, which both came inside the distance.

And Parker was ringside for the first bout – a draw, which most felt ‘The Gypsy King’ warranted – as he eyed a clash with the American.

Their knowledge of Wilder and his ways may prove useful but it all depends on whether Parker can take his power.

He said: “Andy was at the second and third fights. I was at all three. We were looking (at Wilder as a potential opponent) before.

“But in the first fight, getting knocked down, and then the second fight, coming in with a different style, the third fight was very entertaining as well.

“Being there, you can see things as a fighter, ‘Oh, I’d smash him with this, or, ‘I’d hit him with that’. But the trainer can see more and show you different things that he thinks is going to work.

“He showed heart, grit, determination and power (in the third Fury fight).

“Even when Tyson was dominating he was able to show power in many rounds, catching Tyson with a lot of right hands and giving it back to him.”

Since his loss to Joyce, Parker has bounced back with three wins in 2023, getting the better of Jack Massey, Faiga Opelu and Simon Kean.

They are not exactly in Wilder’s league but for Parker, those fights give him and Lee more opportunities to work on his game-plan for bigger bouts.

Parker said: “I feel great. It’s been a good year. I had a fight at the beginning of January, May, October.

“Keeping busy and working on things more in camp, it’s just flowed a lot better. I feel in a good place and I’m ready to finish the year off with a big win and a great Christmas.”

With Fury set to fight WBA, WBO and IBF champ Oleksandr Usyk in an undisputed clash in February, all the heavyweight belts look likely to be tied up for the duration of 2024, especially with a rematch on the cards too.

It means Wilder, Parker and Joshua will be involved in some titanic non-title tussles for now.

With the Saudis’ involvement, though, there is huge money on the line.

And some belts could become vacant if Fury and Usyk do meet again as organisations demand the winner instead fights his mandatory challenger.

Parker has no desire to fight Fury but he does dream of once more becoming world heavyweight champ, having held the WBO belt between 2016 and 2018.

He said: “I don’t think so (fight Tyson). I think Tyson wants to do his own thing and fight Usyk, then I’m not sure, there might be a rematch, and I think we’re on a different course.

“Everything comes down to this fight. The most important thing is getting the win.

“The belts are held up at the top, and we just want to be involved in good, big fights, give it everything we have and show what we can do in the heavyweight division.

“There’s still a lot to give and everything is perfectly in line for a great fight.”

IRISH TALENT

His final sparring session in Ireland done, Parker was preparing to move on to the UK and eventually the Middle East for his date with destiny.

But he reckons Irish boxing has plenty of potential among the big boys.

He said: “Listen, those four guys were younger than me and bigger than me. They’re all sharp and they came to prove a point.

“When you’re sparring with amateurs who just want to come and give it everything, you get the best work.

“We did sparring with four different guys in there and that was awesome.

“They’re proving themselves to us, proving to their team, and they all gave their best work.

“Ireland has a good heavyweight scene – all those guys are going to be good fighters.”