Joseph Parker says he was "blown away" Mike Tyson spared a few moments for him.
New Zealand heavyweight Joseph Parker has had a chance meeting with Mike Tyson.
Parker is including swimming in his routine after hearing champion Wladimir Klitschko talk about its benefits at a training camp in Miami.
And the 23-year-old Kiwi ran into Tyson, the self-styled former Baddest Man on the Planet, in the cafe of his local Las Vegas pool.
Parker is training for his bout with German champion Yakup Saglam in Palmerston North on June 13.
"I had seen Mike in the lead-up to the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight [earlier this month] on the Vegas Strip and he was charging people US$250 to take a picture with him," said Parker. "I was blown away he took the time to spend a few minutes with me."
Tyson's journey from a tough childhood in New York's Brooklyn neighbourhood to heavyweight champion was well documented in his biography Undisputed Truth, released in 2013. In it he also detailed his addiction problems and the way he squandered millions of dollars - which is probably why he has taken to charging fans for pictures.
Tyson has followed up Undisputed Truth with a boxing documentary - which also features Evander Holyfield and Bernard Hopkins - called Champs, which Parker saw at the weekend. Parker will return to New Zealand from his Las Vegas base on Saturday.
