The undercard to the Joseph Parker v Andy Ruiz Jr heavyweight title fight has been described as the best to be held in New Zealand, so spare a thought for John Parker, Joseph's younger brother, who is in the first televised bout set for a worldwide audience of millions.
John, 22, who has been training in Christchurch under Bryan Barry, brother of Joseph's trainer Kevin, for the past six weeks, will fight Cantabrian Ash McConville over four rounds at Vector Arena in Auckland.
The younger Parker, who fought extensively as an amateur, will fight at a catchweight 94kg, although as he is weighing about 85kg now, will probably tip the scales at about 87kg. His future is in the light heavyweight division (limit 81kg) and, given he is fighting in front of boxing luminaries such as Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, a better way to promote it is hard to imagine.
"He realises how lucky he is to be involved in this, but he knows there's a wee bit of pressure on him because he's Joseph's brother - that goes with the territory," Bryan Barry said. "But he's a bit like Joe, nothing's really a problem, they take it in their stride."
John's professional debut was on the undercard of Joseph's fight against Alexander Dimitrenko in Manukau in October, a majority decision over Ratu Dawai from Christchurch.
"He was a credible opponent [but] I just think he [Parker] didn't do the basics," Barry said. "He didn't move his feet, he was looking to load up with every shot. He's actually got a really good jab and I intend to showcase that jab in two weeks' time. He's got a jab that's very similar to Joe's - he's fast."
