Kiwi amateur David Nyika joins Joseph Parker's camp ahead of blockbuster bout v Junior Fa. Video / Dean Purcell
For Joseph Parker, walking out to the ring as the headline act under the bright lights of Spark Arena next month will be nothing new.
In his eight-year professional career, the 28-year-old has been the headline act in 23 of 29 bouts, and has fought on home soil 20 times.
For Junior Fa, making the walk out to the ring for the Fight of the Century, in association with Stonewood Homes, will be a much less familiar position.
Now 19 fights into his professional career, Fa has headlined five times, though none of those bouts have been on as big a stage as Parker has seen.
For Parker's trainer Kevin Barry, the December 12 date will be telling of where Fa is in his career.
"You don't really know until you step out and that big light is on you how you're going to react," Barry explained.
"Now, we knew very, very early in Joseph Parker's career – the sixth fight against Francois Botha, where he was fighting a guy who was at the end of his career, but Joe was at the beginning of his – and he walked out to headline a pay-per-view card in New Zealand in his sixth fight with the swagger of a hardened professional. Since then, he's just grown and grown and grown. Joe has headlined 15 pay-per-view cards in New Zealand. In his career of 29 fights, 23 times he has been the lead act on a pay-per-view card.
"We know what Joseph Parker does when the big lights come on. We don't know how Junior Fa is going to perform under those lights. But one thing we do know, this is a massive opportunity for Junior Fa. This is a life changing opportunity for him, so I believe we will see nothing like we've seen before – we'll see the very best Junior Fa has to offer."
Kevin Barry has returned to New Zealand for Joseph Parker's camp ahead of Junior Fa bout. Photo / Dean Purcell
The Las Vegas-based Barry has returned to New Zealand to help with Parker's preparations for the bout which many boxing fans in the country have long believed would one day eventuate.
It will be the first time in Barry and Parker's partnership that they have prepared for a fight in New Zealand. In the past, when they have a date in New Zealand they will arrive a couple of weeks beforehand for the back end of their preparation.
But, given the current climate with the Covid-19 pandemic causing havoc around the world, the best option was to remain in New Zealand for the entire camp.
Parker and Fa are no strangers to one another, having met four times in the amateur ranks with two wins each. However, those bouts were a long time ago and both have noted they don't hold much weight when it comes to the professional game.
Instead, the December bout could hold title implications for both fighters in the World Boxing Organisation heavyweight division with both Parker (No3) and Fa (No6) ranked in the top 10.
Parker held the title for about 15 months from late 2016 to mid-2018 before losing it to current holder Anthony Joshua, and a win over Fa could help is cause to getting another shot at the gold.
"I leave all that to Kevin and (manager) David (Higgins)," Parker said of planning for the future. "I know the rankings are there, but my job is to just stay fit and fight anyone they put in front of me.
