Joseph Parker's trainer Kevin Barry has revealed the full extent of his boxer's elbow problems over the past two years, saying it had got so bad Parker couldn't straighten his left arm.
Parker's elbow surgery late last year, revealed by the Herald yesterday, has helped the 26-year-old significantly and could prove to be crucial in his world heavyweight title unification bout against Anthony Joshua in Cardiff on April 1 NZT.
It has received the attention of Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn, who said recently: "There are rumours that Parker has been injured for the past two or three fights but now is injury-free and looks unbelievable in training."
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Barry, in breaking down the detail of Parker's operations, said in London: "He had numerous bone chips in his left elbow, he had bone growth on both sides of the elbow and also where the actual elbow socket rolls into. Joe was unable to straighten his arm because the socket had calcified over.