Joshua vs Parker: Five areas the fight will be won and lost, including size, speed and stamina
Both stars are hugely confident of their chances in the huge showdown fight in Cardiff on March 31... but who's right?
ANTHONY JOSHUA says he has set booby traps all around Wales for Joseph Parker to fall in to.
But Samoa’s WBO world heavyweight champion insists he is taking AJ into a war.
Whichever giant you believe, we are due to be in for a fight of epic proportions.
It'll be a record and bone-breaking evening where - barring a shock draw - someone’s unbeaten record and ego will take a battering.
The facts and stats all suggest AJ walks out of Wales with another strap to add to the WBA and IBF gongs he wears.
But the 26-year-old Maori warrior has - like all fighters - that puncher’s chance, underdog's determination and shot at catching the red-hot British favourite cold.
SunSport looks at five areas the fight could be won - or lost…
DIMENSIONS
JOSHUA
When Anthony Joshua reads the age, height, reach and weight stats ahead of Saturday’s shootout he must grin that Hollywood smile. Everything is in his favour.
At 28 he has two more years of experience, before father time becomes a burden rather than a boost.
The 6ft 6in Adonis is twi inches taller, he has a considerably longer reach at 82in vs 76in and that is after Parker had double-elbow surgery to help him get maximum extension.
And if the old boxing age that a good big un' always beats a good little un’ rings true then Josh - who was a massive 18.2stone for his last win over Carlos Takam - has the edge.
He will be heavier than Parker, even at a more manageable 17.7st, like he was for the now iconic win over Wladimir Klitschko in 2017.
PARKER
All these worrying figures apparently sing to the Kiwi, he claims to thrive on fighting bigger men.
There is obviously more to aim for but Parker insists there is more to it.
A target of 106kg - around 16.6st - is what Parker wants to weigh for the Principality stadium show as he believes the key to the outcome is speed and stamina.
Who could remember the timid title defence against Hughie Fury in September 2017 when a podgy 17.7stone Parker chased the Traveller around the ring for 36 fruitless minutes before a points win?
Thanks to a new "clean" diet and the addition of a strength and conditioning coach we will not see the stocky Samoan on Saturday but a lean, mean predator trying to chase down his prize.
TECHNIQUE
JOSHUA
Because of the Dillian Whyte battle, the Wladimir Klitschko war and the Carlos Takam bloodbath, Joshua is box office.
The Brit loves to trade, he can bounce off the floor, fight on with a broken nose and knock people out. But has he improved as a boxer?
In those three fights he has been wobbled and worried and hurt, at times he has looked ragged but the sheer gravitas of the grandstand victories have painted over those cracks.
The law of averages says one of these bruising encounters will catch up with him sooner or later.
But the 2012 Olympic gold legend insists this fight camp in Sheffield under top coach Rob McCracken has been all about skill, finesse and tactics, with all of the fitness and conditioning work already in the bag.
So we should see a cleaner performance, a more clinical masterclass from the 20-0 star, who deserves an easy night after thrilling the nation so many times already.
PARKER
The Kiwi icon wants to drag AJ into the trenches.
Even before the fight was made Team Parker have insulted Joshua and stepped over the line when calling him the "King of Steroids", as his hasty apology proved.
A measured Joshua performance, built upon intelligent footwork and a textbook jab, will spell "nightmare" for Parker who wants the fight to be a bloody test of will.
Trainer Kevin Barry and his Duco promoter David Higgins insist their prize fighter has never been dropped, not in his amateur career or even in training,
They will want a test of attrition, not the cat-and-mouse match-up Hughie Fury posed but the beasting fans are begging for.
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STYLE
JOSHUA
Can AJ keep his cool? Has he already lost it.
Sheffield training partners like Joshua Buatsi have admitted AJ is looking more spiteful for this fight than anything that has gone before.
If a happy fighter is a dangerous fighter then what is a angry fighter?
Is more driven and dedicated and focused or is the carrot of revenge the perfect stick to beat him with?
Joshua says he wants to be remembered for more than a devastating right hand and claims to have ring IQ and strategy in his armoury.
But they take a cool head to deploy and half the reason recent AJ converts love the Watford man is his willingness to leap into the furnace.
PARKER
Watch the Kiwi’s last two fights and you’ll give him zero chance in Wales.
Before the Fury decision he boxed his Romanian sparring partner Razvan Cojanu as a late stand-in and it was a tawdry affair.
But the motivation is ramped up now, more than a reported £9million is on the line for Parker.
As a shorter man he will have to bob and weave into AJ’s range and throw swivelled shots from inside.
He has seen AJ hurt and he feels he has the tools to punish his weaknesses.
CHIN
JOSHUA
In the Gloves Are Off showdown, AJ was sat inches from his opponent when he asked: “Are you going to knock me out?”
After a considered pause, Parker said: “Of course I am.”
Joshua looked genuinely insulted - after taking huge right hands from Dillian and Klitschko, he clearly feels he has proven his will power and his resolve.
But still Parker taunts him with chinny accusations.
If those two - and the 18 other vanquished rivals - cannot derail at the AJ train then he is well within his rights to dismiss the threat from his latest rival.
PARKER
123 professional heavyweight rounds is a long time for a fighter to go without touching the canvas.
Even the game’s greatest have had to pick themselves up off the deck once or twice but Parker insists he is different.
Perhaps it is that All Black Maori mentality but a lack of serious opposition has also helped. AJ will deliver that in spades.
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SPEED vs STAMINA
JOSHUA
Carrying around over 18stone of pure muscle for for that Carlos Takam fight must have been a serious grind for Josh.
It is unlikely we will ever see him that heavy in the ring again.
The father-of-one says he has realised boxing bouts can be split into two parts, the first and second six.
He admitted that he was blowing a gasket after the opening five against Klitschko when it looked for a moment like he had punched himself out of oxygen.
But on Saturday we should see a leaner man, a more streamlined version and that will make the back end of the battle more comfortable.
For the first time in his career, AJ is talking about wanting to prolong the fight.
That screams confidence as everyone knows how heavyweight lives can be changed in a heartbeat, let alone a three-minute round.
PARKER
Carlos Takam has faced both men and he says Parker is by far the faster man, despite AJ showing huge potential as a kid sprinter.
After a thrilling start to his career, Parker’s last three fights - the title win over Eric Molina and the two defences - have all gone the 12-round distance.
While he is not getting paid overtime, the experience is priceless and 11 rounds with Klitschko is as far as anyone has ever been able to take Joshua.
Klitscho was a 40-year-old legend in those final Wembley rounds, Parker - if he can survive any early onslaught - will be 14 years younger with almost everything still to prove.
