Boxing: Impressive Joseph Parker out to 'punish' Hughie Fury

Joseph Parker in London ahead of his WBO heavyweight boxing title defence. Photosport

Joseph Parker says he will "punish" Hughie Fury in the ring and could make good on his threat if he performs like he did in training today.

In front of representatives of the New Zealand media in London, Parker was put through a short but intense session by trainer Kevin Barry, and the Kiwi heavyweight's timing and sense of power on the pads was impressive.

There is a sense that things are falling into place for the 25-year-old at the end of this long build-up to the fight against Fury at Manchester Arena on Sunday.

Englishman Fury is tall at 1.98m, and Parker has performed well against tall opponents as a professional. He is clearly also working on attacking Fury's body, a route to one of his most impressive performances of his career when stopping the 2.01m Alexander Dimitrenko in Auckland last year.

Dimitrenko felt Parker's power early in that fight, and while he was knocked down twice via blows to the head, Parker's constant attacks to the body broke him down, and the final knockdown in the third round came via a body blow.

"Joe likes fighting taller guys. There's no secret about that," Barry said.

"If Joe shows what he's shown me in our training camp we're going to take the referee, the judges and the fans right out of the equation."

Parker feels he will have to force the pressure early against Fury, saying: "The lead-up to this fight has been really long. It's not really anger, it's more; 'okay you're going to get it now. You made me wait for so long so now you're going to be punished for it'.

Asked whether he felt Fury had a good chin, Barry said: "He's got 20 victories and no defeats on his record so the chin has held up pretty good so far. He's never fought anyone like Joseph Parker and I can promise you this; Hughie Fury's whiskers will be tested very early in this fight."

Parker, meanwhile, has followed his usual pre-fight routine by shaving off his beard and getting his hair cut in London. He said his barber was selected following a tip from All Blacks first-five Beauden Barrett. "Look sharp, feel sharp, fight sharp," Parker said.

Parker v Fury at Manchester Arena will be shown in New Zealand live on Sky Arena from 8am on Sunday for $39.95.