{"id":70977,"date":"2018-03-23T11:56:54","date_gmt":"2018-03-23T16:56:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=70977"},"modified":"2018-03-23T12:01:13","modified_gmt":"2018-03-23T17:01:13","slug":"anthony-joshua-joseph-parker-press-conference-goes-off-the-rails-breaking-boxing-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=70977","title":{"rendered":"Anthony Joshua – Joseph Parker Press Conference Goes Off the Rails – Breaking Boxing News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>WHAT: Heavyweight World Champions Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker discussed their March 31 heavyweight world title unification in separate media conference calls hosted by SHOWTIME Sports\u00ae on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

IBF and WBA Champion Joshua will square off with WBO Champion Parker Saturday, March 31 live on SHOWTIME (5 p.m. ET\/2 p.m. PT) from Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. The undefeated champions, who boast a combined record of 44-0 with 38 knockouts, will meet on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING\u00ae in just the second heavyweight championship unification in history between undefeated world titleholders.<\/p>\n

Joining Joshua and Parker were Stephen Espinoza, President, Sports & Event Programming, Showtime Networks Inc., Eddie Hearn, Managing Director, Matchroom Boxing, and Kevin Barry, Parker\u2019s trainer.<\/p>\n

Here is what the participants had to say on Wednesday\u2019s calls:<\/p>\n

JOSHUA CONFERENCE CALL HIGHLIGHTS:<\/p>\n

Question: How have your preparations gone and what are your thoughts in anticipation for the big fight?<\/p>\n

Anthony Joshua: \u201cPreparations have gone really well. We\u2019re still in preparation now but so far, so good. I do believe a happy fighter makes a good fighter. For the experience over my last few fights in 11 months have gone 11 rounds, 10 rounds, have been a blessing. I\u2019ve learned about training camp and I\u2019ve learned about myself. It\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve kind of voiced up to my coach man-to-man. I\u2019ve said, \u2018Look, this is what I\u2019ve thought was working and this is what I feel isn\u2019t working. Can I have your input and can we make some changes?\u2019 Not in a sense of how he\u2019s training me. Just in terms of schedule and it\u2019s been really good. I\u2019ve had some cruiserweights come in sparring for speed, some big heavy hitters who throw big right hands and left hooks and wait for me to make a mistake. We\u2019ve been sparring 15 rounds. And honestly, I\u2019ve been doing this for 10 years now if I rack up my amateur career and my pro career. And you know the 10,000-hour rule. I\u2019m starting to get confident. I\u2019ve had the ability but I think I\u2019m matched up with my mindset now and I\u2019m feeling really good and confident ahead of March 31.<\/p>\n

Q: People in the U.S. are excited about your fight with Parker but there are so many American fans excited about the prospect of a fight between yourself and Wilder. What are your thoughts on that and are you able to tune that out ahead of your fight with Parker on the 31st?<\/p>\n

Joshua: \u201cYou\u2019ve got to remember that a lot of that talk about me and Wilder started in 2017 after he beat Bermane Stiverne but I haven\u2019t spoken much about it. I\u2019ve got great people in my corner that handle the business while I focus on the handling of my boxing technique. We reached out to Deontay Wilder\u2019s team before the fight with Joseph Parker was made. And once that fight didn\u2019t happen, I put Wilder aside and focused solely on Parker. I\u2019m not the one overlooking Joseph Parker and I\u2019m not the one hooting and hollering about what\u2019s happening next. I\u2019m really focused on Parker because as you know, if I don\u2019t get past Parker, it slows down the train and derails everything we\u2019re trying to achieve in terms of becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: Do you allow yourself to think about the prospect of that fight in the event that you win the fight on the 31st?<\/p>\n

Joshua: \u201cOne-hundred 10 percent. There\u2019s no doubt in my mind that fight will happen. And there\u2019s no doubt in my mind that I\u2019ll beat Wilder as well. This is where we\u2019re heading. Fight after fight, my view on it is this\u2026When Wladimir Klitschko was active and his brother relinquished the WBC belt, Wilder won it. If he was so interested in becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, why didn\u2019t he offer to fight Klitschko and say \u2018Listen, I\u2019ve got that belt that your brother has had for the last 10 years. Let\u2019s me and you fight now.\u2019 There\u2019s a lot of pressure from fans in America, media and the papers for Wilder to step up and fight. And now we\u2019re here and I\u2019m that champion and I\u2019m definitely looking forward to it. That\u2019s why back-to-back, I\u2019ve been racking up these belts one by one and taking fights. SHOWTIME has been riding with me for six fights, a quarter of my career. And we\u2019re headed towards the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: There was a report in the Telegraph (UK) that there\u2019s possibly going to be a meeting between yourself and the people at UFC who are now going to be getting involved in boxing. Can you give me your perspective on you joining their organization and about what they wrote today?<\/p>\n

Joshua: \u201cI\u2019m riding with Eddie. He\u2019s backed me from the get-go. And the second thing, I\u2019m a boxer. I\u2019m not into the UFC so I don\u2019t know what their plans are. But every time I\u2019ve been asked about UFC and if I would make that crossover like McGregor did with Mayweather, I\u2019ve said yes.<\/p>\n

Q: It wasn\u2019t about Anthony Joshua becoming a mixed martial artist, their intentions are to promote boxing events. Dana White and the UFC view you as someone that any promotional company could build around given your star power.<\/p>\n

Joshua: \u201cOh yeah, a hundred percent. I\u2019m interested because we can all work together. Mine and Eddie\u2019s relationship is a really good working relationship. I\u2019m sure Eddie has an interest in working with Dana White. If it\u2019s good business, it makes sense. I\u2019m not into business. I\u2019m sure Eddie\u2019s not going to say, \u2018Dana White, we\u2019re not interested in working with you\u2019 when we don\u2019t know what\u2019s on the table. We\u2019ll listen and a hundred percent, if it makes sense, we\u2019re all in. I\u2019m happy that Dana White is coming into the game and hopefully he can add some excitement, progress forward, make some good money and make some good fights.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: Eddie, do you have any thoughts about the story in the paper today?<\/p>\n

Eddie Hearn: \u201cNo, I saw it and Gareth [Davies] spoke to me about it today. If Dana White wants to speak to us, obviously Anthony\u2019s with us. We\u2019re willing to talk to anybody and we do great business with everyone. We work with anyone, if the business is right. In the meantime, I\u2019ll sign Conor McGregor and it\u2019ll be fair.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: You weighed 254 pounds for your last fight and there\u2019s been some talk in the media that you\u2019re looking to slim down for this fight. Can you tell us what weight you\u2019re looking to check in at for this fight?<\/p>\n

Joshua: \u201cLet\u2019s say 17.5, 17.4 (stone). You\u2019ve got to remember with this weight nonsense, no fighter should go into training camp focusing on their weight. This isn\u2019t Weight Watchers and nobody should focus on their weight as such. But I do feel that your weight has to adapt to the style of fighter you\u2019re facing. With Carlos Takam, he was a shorter fighter. He came in on the inside and ended up head-butting me so I knew I had to kind of be able to lean on Takam and tire him out. I knew he was going to move a lot. This wasn\u2019t going to be a Kubrat Pulev type of fight where I\u2019m going to be jabbing or counter punching. I was going to be sitting on top of Takam and working into the body so the weight played a good role. But now, I\u2019m fighting someone like Parker who\u2019s a lot quicker and moves a lot more. I have to make sure I\u2019m lighter on my feet so I\u2019ve adjusted to the style of fighter I\u2019m fighting. I haven\u2019t adjusted my weight for any other reason than the type of fighter I\u2019m going to be facing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: Is there any truth to the idea of you being lighter and not carrying around as much muscle could help you in the long run?<\/p>\n

Joshua: \u201cI\u2019m 20-0, I\u2019m unified champ, muscle or not, I\u2019m still handling business. I feel like people try to find anything to steer your mind from what\u2019s working. I\u2019m winning, racking up wins and it\u2019s been going well. I wouldn\u2019t focus on anything else than what\u2019s working.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: Do you look at Joseph Parker as the most dangerous challenge in your career thus far?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joshua: \u201cNo. Wladimir Klitschko.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: How different of a matchup is this to Wladimir?<\/p>\n

Joshua: \u201cWladimir was a phenomenal champion. I just feel people didn\u2019t give him the credit. He doesn\u2019t have a name that a lot of the Western fans can resonate with. It\u2019s not like an Adam Clark. His first language wasn\u2019t English. People didn\u2019t really buy into it. He was dominating. He was a great champion. Ten years on top. Phenomenal. 69 fights and 64 wins. That\u2019s phenomenal. I\u2019m fighting someone that\u2019s 24-0. Everything I learned from that fight was a blessing and it\u2019s led me to being confident ahead of the fight with Joseph Parker. So I\u2019m dealing with a different beast. Parker still poses a threat but doesn\u2019t\u2019 have half the experience that Wladimir had.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: Do you think Parker is the most technical fighter you\u2019ve faced up to this point and if so, why do you think that?<\/p>\n

Joshua: \u201cI think it\u2019s because he\u2019s had an extensive amateur career. I do believe the Lomachenkos, Rigondeauxs, Andre Wards have all had great amateur careers which led them on to be phenomenal professionals and Joseph Parker\u2019s had that. I have to give credit where credit is due. But then, so have I and I was always told to leave the amateur\u2019s in the background because the pros are a different game. And now we\u2019re facing each other as professionals. I just think he has that amateur background behind him and he knows how to fight. He\u2019s traveled the world so coming to England is nothing new to him. He\u2019s got that in his locker, which has gotten him this far.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: Looking at your 21st fight, what do you feel at this stage in the game that you need to improve on?<\/p>\n

Joshua: \u201cWhen I look at boxing now, everybody talks about what I need to do to be a great champion and it seems to me that it\u2019s a right hand and a good chin. We might as well go to the night clubs around England and America and just find the biggest and ugliest looking guy and he\u2019ll become heavyweight champion. What I need to do to become a great champion is just work on my all-around game. The fundamentals. We\u2019re talking about balance, footwork and understanding the distance between being in range and out of range. Perfecting your jab. Use your jab 50 times before you throw your right hand. Let\u2019s make sure your right hand is in the right position to defend a left hook in case you get countered. Everything. That\u2019s why I say when I fought Wladimir Klitschko, he had enough time to make mistakes and come back and reign supreme as a champion. So over time, in these types of fights I\u2019ve had early on in my career, I\u2019ve learned what will play massive roles later on when I become one of the dominant fighters in the heavyweight division.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: How do you stay dialed in and not worry about all of the outside noise regarding your career?<\/p>\n

Joshua: \u201cBecause I know about the history of the sport. I know how easy it is to be forgotten about. I just realize that this is my time and I have to capitalize and maximize and do what\u2019s right for me. This isn\u2019t about being the fan favorite. I\u2019m not here to be pat on the back. I\u2019m here to handle my business in the best way possible and when it\u2019s all said and done be content with the decisions I\u2019ve made.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: How would you assess your performance against Carlos Takam?<\/p>\n

Joshua: \u201cI won every round. I got head-butted. I couldn\u2019t breathe through my nose. I realize that Takam was a late step in so I was preparing for someone completely different. So, what I decided to do with Carlos is just go through the motions because I realize 2018 was a massive year in terms of unifying with Joseph Parker and then potentially facing Deontay Wilder providing I win to become undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. So, my game plan with Takam was don\u2019t be too explosive and don\u2019t take too many risks. Make sure I dominate Takam and I win every round and that\u2019s kind of how things panned out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: How do you think Joseph looked in his last fight against Hughie Fury?<\/p>\n

Joshua: \u201cYou\u2019ve got to look at Parker when he boxes on the front and the back foot. There\u2019s two significant changes. When he boxes on the front foot, I think he finds it difficult to land combinations because I just think he struggled a bit against Fury when he was dancing on the edge of the ring. But when he fights people like Takam on his back foot, he\u2019s better. I just think he really struggled with Fury when he was coming forward. I do think he won. I do think Joseph Parker won. We\u2019re both in a position to show how great we are and why we\u2019re real contenders in the division. That\u2019s all it\u2019s about now. March 31.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: Do you feel you\u2019ve gotten the credit that you deserve for fighting Klitschko because of his age?<\/p>\n

Joshua: Is Mayweather too old to still fight you think?<\/p>\n

Q: They\u2019re the same age, right?<\/p>\n

Joshua: Exactly. People still say Mayweather is still young and that he can still compete. The difference is, lighter weights struggle to maintain their finesse because they have to stay on a diet. They starve their body of nutrition. Heavyweights mature later. When Klitschko lost, everyone who knows boxing knew he wasn\u2019t in the right mind frame. When he came to fight me, I just knew. He didn\u2019t say he\u2019s in great shape. He didn\u2019t say he was feeling strong, but he said he\u2019s obsessed. When your mind is right, the body will follow. That win against Klitschko was tough, I didn\u2019t take him to points. I didn\u2019t go there to steal the belt. I took it with both hands and it was a great fight for the history books. I\u2019m not looking for credit, I know what that fight was and what it meant to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: [To Hearn] What are your thoughts about Anthony\u2019s focus on Parker with all the talk of Wilder?<\/p>\n

Hearn: \u201cWe never have to worry about Anthony\u2019s focus. He\u2019s probably the most focused and driven individual you can meet. He knows the challenges and risks in front of him against Joseph Parker. One thing about Anthony is that he\u2019s not real big on hype. We\u2019re not really into storming the ring after fighting. When we got Klitschko in the ring after the fight, we signed a contract a few hours before that was in existence if Anthony won against [Eric] Molina that night. Until that fight is signed, Anthony won\u2019t really get excited about that fight. He\u2019s not really interested in talking about it or hyping it. It\u2019s the biggest fight in world boxing. It\u2019s a fight that\u2019s completely irrelevant if he\u2019s not victorious next Saturday. I don\u2019t think that it\u2019s Deontay Wilder, it\u2019s the other stone that needs to be turned to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. This is Anthony\u2019s 21st fight and effectively his second unification fight. Deontay has had 40 fights. We\u2019re well ahead of schedule. All of these fights will happen and the reality is the one that put pens to paper and that are actually happening.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: How important is it to you to maintain your one-hundred percent KO ratio?<\/p>\n

Joshua: \u201cIt\u2019s great for the record and promotion. It\u2019s not as important to fulfilling your game plan. Some fighters will be tough and some fighters may not be there to be knocked out. I have to have it in my locker also to be able to go the distance. In terms of promotion and saying I have a hundred percent KO ratio is great. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s any heavyweight in the history of his career that\u2019s been able to have purely knockouts on his record so I don\u2019t expect to be the first one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: When you saw Wilder fight Ortiz, did you see anything that you didn\u2019t know about him already? Did he impress you or let you down?<\/p>\n

Joshua: After 10 years as a professional and 40 fights in, Wilder\u2019s done what he\u2019s supposed to do. He\u2019s supposed to win. He\u2019s supposed to beat someone like Luiz Ortiz. After 10 years of any craft. Let\u2019s say you\u2019re working in sales and you can\u2019t sell a person that Mercedes-Benz or whatever car it is, you\u2019ve got big issues. Wilder\u2019s had that experience to be able to dominate that division. He just did what routinely is supposed to happen and get the win. He struggled a bit, but he got there in the end. That\u2019s all that matters. That\u2019s what shows up in the history books, a W. So, I\u2019m happy for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: Can you elaborate on what makes you think Parker is a weird character?<\/p>\n

Joshua: \u201cI can\u2019t put my finger on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hearn: \u201cI think the weird thing was alluding to the fact that he was boding Anthony with criticism and then when we had the press conference he was nice as pie. We expected him to bring that fire to the press conference and maybe he\u2019ll bring it next week. He was kind of one person prior to the fight and then another when we came face-to-face. But we\u2019ll see what happens next week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: [To Hearn] Is there a rematch clause for this fight and what are the circumstances with that?<\/p>\n

Hearn: \u201cThe details of the contract are always confidential. When there\u2019s a great fight and the appetite to see it again, generally you\u2019ll get it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hearn (Opening Comments): \u201cIt\u2019s a huge event. This is our sixth fight with Anthony Joshua and SHOWTIME. It\u2019s incredible, really that we\u2019ve had that amount of fights. It seems like the Charles Martin fight was just like yesterday. It\u2019s incredible that in 11 months, Anthony Joshua has had three stadium fights. Of course, Wladimir Klitschko, Carlos Takam and now Joseph Parker. There have been 240,000 fans and over 2.5 million UK pay-per-view buys. It\u2019s been an incredible run and an incredible 11 months. And a great March of course for SHOWTIME with a brilliant fight between Wilder and Ortiz and I think this fight has all of the ingredients to be even better than that. It\u2019s a great fight. Two undefeated young heavyweights. Fearless, fast, big punching, great footwork, 24-0 against 20-0. I think it\u2019s the kind of fight that we need in the world of boxing and it\u2019s the first-ever unification fight in Britain between two reigning heavyweight world champions. And the first time in the history of the sport that two heavyweights have fought a unification fight with perfect records. It\u2019s going to be a huge week. We have a huge press conference at SKY next Tuesday, we have a public workout on Wednesday, the weigh-in is a national holiday on a Friday, it\u2019s going to be huge. Seventy-eight thousand people crammed in to Millennium Stadium for this huge unification fight. This is just the beginning for Anthony Joshua. Just another stepping stone to becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and we can\u2019t wait. It\u2019s a great fight and we thank SHOWTIME for all their support as ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

PARKER CONFERENCE CALL HIGHLIGHTS:<\/p>\n

STEPHEN ESPINOZA (Opening Comments):<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough the first six months of this year we will be delivering 11 marquee events, which includes matchups of five top-ranked fighters, of which this is one, and two unifications, of course which this is one. In this month of March all four heavyweight world title belts are at stake on SHOWTIME.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis fight, Joshua vs. Parker, will be the 12th heavyweight fight on SHOWTIME within the last three years. We\u2019re proud to be doing our part to help propel the reinvigoration of the heavyweight division. During those last three years the U.S. audience has gotten to know a little bit about Anthony Joshua and we are very happy to be able to further introduce them to Joseph Parker, the consensus top three heavyweight in the world and WBO Champion making his third defense and his first appearance on SHOWTIME.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are thrilled to have this fight; it\u2019s right in our wheelhouse, a highly competitive, highly anticipated matchup of top fighters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joseph Parker: \u201cIt\u2019s been a great training camp that we\u2019ve had in Las Vegas and now we\u2019re here in London. We have about a week and a half before the fight and like Kevin mentioned, we hit the ground running. We got some good sessions in. I\u2019m looking forward to fighting an undefeated fighter like Anthony Joshua, who I respect. I\u2019m looking forward to this opportunity to unify the division and unify the belts and the opportunity to put on a great display and make my mark on SHOWTIME. I can\u2019t wait for it. Our team is excited to be here and it\u2019s going to be a great opportunity for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: When you watch the struggles Joshua had against Klitschko, what do you take away from that fight?<\/p>\n

Parker: \u201cI think being active has worked well for us. I watched that fight. He did really well in terms of coming back and showed a lot of heart to get back up off the canvas and finish off the fight and getting the win. Coming into this fight, we\u2019re young, we\u2019re hungry and I think if we did get him in trouble there\u2019s no waiting for us. We know how to finish off a fight. We know how to put on the pressure and get him out of there. He has strengths and weaknesses like every other fighter has and we\u2019ll come up with a good game plan which I believe in and if I execute, I think we\u2019ll get the victory.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin Barry: \u201cAs we know, there\u2019s no secret about it, this is the biggest test that Joe\u2019s had in front of him. But I also believe that this is the biggest test that Anthony Joshua\u2019s had in front of him. We are expecting a much better Anthony Joshua than the one that fought Klitschko. I think there\u2019s a lot of improvement in him just as there\u2019s a lot of improvement in Joe. We\u2019re anticipating that the styles of both these guys are going to make for a real fan-friendly fight and a very exciting fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: There\u2019s so much attention paid to an Anthony Joshua-Deontay Wilder fight, as if it\u2019s an assumption that he\u2019s going to beat you. Does that bother you?<\/p>\n

Parker: \u201cIt doesn\u2019t really bother me. I think everyone is entitled to their opinion and the fight they want to see. I think what\u2019s important for us is that we focus on what\u2019s in front of us and that\u2019s Anthony Joshua. Our focus is on Anthony Joshua and being in great shape and being healthy. It gives us motivation in training and we know what our focus is. Our focus is Anthony Joshua and putting on the best performance of our lives March 31.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: As a fan of boxing, how good is a match like this for the sport?<\/p>\n

Parker: \u201cA match like this is a very big deal. As a fan of boxing and as a fighter, we love to watch the big fights and be involved in the big fights. So we\u2019re pretty happy to be involved in the fight. I think it\u2019s the best time for us to be involved in a big fight like this. Back a few years ago, Kevin said he\u2019s always wanted to fight Anthony Joshua and he said to me, when we do fight this guy, it has to mean something. And it does really mean something this time. We\u2019re both undefeated, we both have titles, we\u2019re both world champions and we both want to unify the division so it\u2019s going to mean a lot and it\u2019s a big occasion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: A lot of fans don\u2019t know you in the United States, explain to them what you will bring to the table on March 31.<\/p>\n

Parker: \u201cThe fans haven\u2019t really seen the best Joseph Parker there is. Going into this fight, we\u2019ve worked on a lot of things. Like I said, I trust in my whole team. I trust in my coach and the game plan. I\u2019m going to bring a lot of movement, speed and power and a lot of angles. I promise that this is a fight that I\u2019m going to make very exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: What was the reason behind losing weight heading into this fight?<\/p>\n

Barry: \u201cJoe\u2019s still a very young heavyweight. We\u2019ve been together for five years and we\u2019re still a long way away from a finished product. Last year, we bumped Joe up quite a bit. We put a bunch of muscle on him. We put an extra 10 pounds of weight on him and it actually doesn\u2019t really work out for us. So we sat down, Joe and I, and we said that we felt he was a busier fighter, a more mobile fighter, his feet and hands were faster, when he was lighter. So for a fight like this against a big, strong, powerful guy like Joshua it was important that we went back to a mobile, lighter fighter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: Do you think Joshua and Eddie Hearn saw something the rest of the world didn\u2019t see in your fight against Hughie Fury, which wasn\u2019t your best performance?<\/p>\n

Parker: \u201cLast year wasn\u2019t our best year and I wasn\u2019t close to what we can actually do in the ring. They probably saw a lot of things that they could work on to get to us but we\u2019re a totally different fighter now from where we were last year. We\u2019ve improved on a lot of things and we\u2019re going to show everyone what we\u2019ve been working so hard on in Vegas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: What would it mean to you to become the unified heavyweight champion?<\/p>\n

Parker: \u201cIt would mean a lot. It would mean the world, not only for myself but for our team. There\u2019s a lot of people that\u2019s involved in getting me to this stage and there\u2019s a lot of people that want me to go out there and put on my best performance. It\u2019s going to mean a lot for myself, my team, my coach and my countries of New Zealand and Samoa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: Are you concerned that if the fight goes to the scorecards you won\u2019t get a fair shake because of Joshua\u2019s popularity in Great Britain?<\/p>\n

Parker: \u201cI\u2019m not concerned and the reason I say that is because we have good officials. My team has done a great job to get neutral officials and my focus is on the fight. I want to go out there and do my best. Whatever happens, happens. But I trust that the officials will do the right thing and give the right decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barry: \u201dIt was very important for us when we were formulating this contract that we had independent, neutral officials. We have three judges \u2013 one from the United States, one from the UK and one from New Zealand. And we have an Italian referee so we\u2019re very happy with the names that have been put forward that there will be no disputing the decision. We believe that we have fair, very experienced officials who will do a good job come Saturday the 31st.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: Do you think Joshua is underestimating you based on what they saw in that fight against Fury?<\/p>\n

Parker: \u201cI think on that performance, they are underestimating us and I think a lot of people are already writing us off because of that performance. But, like I said, we\u2019ve worked on a lot of things and we had a great camp and it\u2019s going to be a different fight as you guys will see March 31. If they\u2019re judging us off that fight, then they\u2019ve got it totally wrong. That could definitely work in our favor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barry: \u201cI think the same will go for both camps. If they\u2019re looking at the Fury fight, we know that Joseph is a much better fighter than that. Fury was a very awkward opponent, an opponent that we wouldn\u2019t have even been in the ring with if it wasn\u2019t for a mandatory. Looking at Joshua\u2019s last fight with Carlos Takam, he really didn\u2019t light the world on fire in that fight and he left a lot of question marks about his performance. We\u2019re expecting a much better Joshua than the one that fought Carlos Takam. So the same can be said both ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: What did you think of Joshua\u2019s performance against Takam?<\/p>\n

Parker: \u201cIt wasn\u2019t his best effort but he did what he had to do to get the victory. Maybe training with someone who was a lot taller and then fighting somebody shorter changed the way that he approached the fight but I think the main thing is that he got the victory and he kept the belts and that\u2019s why we can make this big fight happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: What do you think your advantages are over Joshua?<\/p>\n

Parker: \u201cI\u2019ve been 12 rounds five times so I\u2019m durable. With this training camp that we\u2019ve had, we\u2019ve worked a lot on different angles and speed. What we\u2019ve been seeing in the gym and in sparring, we\u2019re going to put on display come fight night. I think I have advantages in speed and power. If we execute it well on fight night then he won\u2019t be able to catch us and he won\u2019t be able to land that big shot that he throws.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barry: \u201cSpeed is the key. We\u2019ve always believed that Joe\u2019s the fastest heavyweight in the world. I also believe that out of all the heavyweight champions, I think Joe has the better skill. I think he does things better than Joshua does. I think he\u2019s more complete than Joshua. Is he as big as Joshua? No. Is his reach as long as Joshua\u2019s? No. Joshua\u2019s got a 100 percent knockout record but I believe Joseph Parker is a better skilled fighter than Antony Joshua and I think when we put the movement, the hand speed and the skill together, it\u2019s going to be a very good combination and a successful combination on March 31.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: Do you want to make a prediction for the fight?<\/p>\n

Parker: \u201cI\u2019m going to be victorious. It\u2019s going to be a great fight. We\u2019re both hungry, we\u2019re both undefeated and we\u2019ve both been training hard but I believe in myself. I believe in my team and what we\u2019ve been working on. I believe I\u2019m going to be victorious March 31.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: Do you think that Joshua\u2019s chin is a big weakness for him?<\/p>\n

Barry: \u201cI think he has a pretty good chin. I know that we used the glass door as part of our marketing strategy in putting this fight together, but we believe as a team that Joshua has a good chin. He\u2019s fought some big guys. He\u2019s been hit on the chin before. Sure, he got dropped against Klitschko and there were stories of him getting dropped multiple times in the amateurs and that he was dropped in the gym in sparring, but all in all he\u2019s a big, strong, powerful guy and I think his chin is not too bad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barry (Opening Comments): \u201cWe\u2019ve been in the gym running each morning at 6:30, 7:00 and in the boxing gym at 2:30. We\u2019ve been doing between 16 and 18 rounds of boxing each day. Today we sparred and Joe is looking very sharp, very confident and the little bit of jet lag that we had is getting less and less by the day and we anticipate by this weekend we\u2019ll have both feet firmly planted on the ground ready for a big week next week.\u201d<\/p>\n