Down a long private driveway set among the rolling hills of semi-rural South Auckland I have come to catch up with Joseph Parker fight to discuss his upcoming December 11th bout against Junior Fa. It’s a clear cloudless afternoon and the house with its limitless views feels like a sanctuary, far away from all the global craziness that has defined 2020 as one of the strangest years on record. (photo by photosport)
Surrounded by family, his partner Laine and three daughters, Elizabeth, Shiloh, and Michaela, this is Joseph Parker-fa in his element and it seems like he is finally found that perfect balance between professional athlete and family man. He wears it well. His daughters cluck around him and fatherhood, despite all the disruptions that fighting overseas the past few years has caused, is clearly something that Joseph relishes.
If one word were to sum up the mood at the Parker residence it would be ‘serenity’ with ‘balance’ being a close contender. In the past it would be fair to say Parker was living two lives, lives that were not always compatible. On one hand there was the fresh faced fighter moving up the rankings, operating under the strict regime that entails being a professional athlete, but equally there was also the young man wanting to live his life, experience the fun and freedom of socializing and partying with his friends. It’s something that Joseph acknowledges as part of the maturing process, ‘yeah I was trying to be an athlete but I was also a young guy out enjoying time with my friends’ he then laughs ruefully recounting a story about a fight early in his career where he indulged in a burger eating contest post weigh-in.
2020 along with many other changes in the world has also seen a transformation in the way Joseph conducts his preparation, not only for his upcoming fight but also the way he lives and trains all year round. Gone are the boom/bust times of being in camp and fight night only to be followed by periods of no gym work at all.
Despite not being in camp since February, Fa vs Parker has maintained a rigorous training schedule full of strength and conditioning work interspersed with various built-in recovery sessions. Weight-wise he looks to almost be in fighting shape with over 7 weeks out from his fight with Fa, it’s something he says has helped both with managing injuries while maintaining a better mental focus.
‘The biggest difference for me nowadays is that I’m finding staying in shape all year round much more enjoyable. I’m not getting those ongoing injuries that I used to have with the stop-start nature of being in the gym and then being totally out of the gym. Mentally I’m feeling very sharp and that’s where everything comes from. I feel a lot more confident and as soon as we announced the fight, I felt like bring it on.’
I mention to him that this reminds me of the Mike Tyson quote that the most dangerous fighter is the fighter who is happy in his work. It’s something Joseph readily agrees with, ‘I think that’s absolutely true, I’m very happy and with that my goal for this fight, and for future fights to come, is to take more risks.’
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