AHEAD of his unification showdown with Anthony Joshua back in 2018, Joseph Parker was mocked for looking somewhat out of shape.
It was in an episode of The Graham Norton Show when the Irish presenter poked fun at Parker’s physique, with Joshua, referring to his future opponent as the ‘pie eater,’ chiming in with several chuckles himself.
Back then, Parker was an unbeaten world heavyweight champion and yet, based largely on how he looked, was seen by most as a stepping stone for ‘AJ.’
Of course, when you compared the shredded frame of Joshua – one that could easily have been sculpted by Michelangelo – to that of Parker’s, it is perhaps unsurprising that a casual boxing audience gave him little more than a cat in hell’s chance.
Even the majority of boxing purists, it seemed, were not entirely convinced by the New Zealander’s credentials at world level.
He had, after all, edged a highly contentious majority decision to beat Andy Ruiz Jr for the vacant WBO strap just over a year prior, hardly setting the world alight with his performance.
And sure enough, while being hampered by a questionable display of refereeing, Parker nonetheless appeared to lack the impetus to go through the gears in his 12-round encounter with Joshua.
After that defeat, the young heavyweight returned to British shores to take on Dillian Whyte, and while he climbed off the canvas twice to eventually floor his opponent in the 12th round, it was a performance which, once again, left fans yearning for more.
Outside the ring, Parker has always been known as the nice guy but, in many ways, this only ever seemed to translate to a more passive approach in the ring.
Even after his unanimous decision defeat to Whyte, the skillful technician amassed six straight victories but rarely projected the aura of an elite heavyweight contender.
Seemingly, it was only once he joined forces with former middleweight champion and esteemed trainer Andy Lee when Parker began to develop a more ferocious attitude, fighting with a degree of tenacity and hunger that had never previously been seen.
Sure, he lost to Joe Joyce in an enthralling 11-round shootout, but still, there were ample signs that the former heavyweight champion had discovered a new mentality.
His destructive third-round stoppage victory over Simon Kean perhaps represented the first real turning point, though, propelling Parker into a bold test against prolific knockout artist Deontay Wilder in 2023.
And despite entering the fight as a sizable underdog, this new and improved version of Parker proved without a shadow of doubt that he represents a formidable test for any heavyweight.
With him then reinforcing his point with a majority decision victory against fearsome puncher Zhilei Zhang last March, it can now be said with a high degree of certainty that the 33-year-old’s pie eating days are a thing of the past.
In fact, with Parker having drilled his body into tremendous shape ahead of his IBF title shot against Daniel Dubois this Saturday, the transformation, both physically and mentally, from where he was seven years ago has been nothing short of extraordinary.
