Kiwi boxing sensation Joseph Parker has been rubbing shoulders with another of the sport's royalty in Las Vegas in the form of ex-world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson.

Parker is preparing with trainer Kevin Barry for his fight with hard-hitting German Yakup 'The Scorpion' Saglam in Palmerston North on June 13 but had a chance meeting with the colorful Tyson, who gave the New Zealander a few training tips.

Parker had his new friend Wladimir Klitschko to thank for the opportunity to meet "Iron Mike". The Kiwi was attending a training camp with Klitschko, the current world heavyweight champion, in Miami last month when the Ukrainian advised him to take up swimming. Not even the Ukrainian could have predicted it would lead to Parker running into Tyson in the cafeteria of his local pool.

"I had seen Mike in the lead up to the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight on the Vegas Strip and he was charging people $250 to take a picture with him," Parker said. "I was blown away he took the time to spend a few minutes with me"

Nearly 30 years since first claiming the heavyweight championship, Tyson remains one of the most famous faces on the planet. His tarnished public image underwent further renaissance in America this month following the release of his acclaimed boxing documentary Champs, which Parker watched.

"What struck me is how Mike's relationship with [trainer] Cus D'Amato was very similar to my relationship with Kevin Barry," Parker said.

"I had no idea Cus D'Amato made Mike move in with him to make him and it made me realize why Kev made me move in with him."

Parker, 23, wasn't born when Tyson was terrorizing the heavyweight division in the late 1980s, but he has picked up a valuable training tip from watching the documentary.

"Mike used to pass time watching historical fights of the all the great fighters," Parker said. "I've started logging onto YouTube and I'm now doing the same thing too."

Parker hopes he can show what he's learned in front of a record crowd in Palmerston North. Parker will return to New Zealand to complete his training at the end of the week.