Joseph Parker is under orders not to talk up - or down to - Anthony Joshua as the New Zealand heavyweight boxer's preparations for a title fight enters its next phase in Christchurch - and don't expect him to bad mouth Solomon Haumono either.
Try as he might, Joseph Parker can't avoid Anthony Joshua's imminent presence. It's an awkward position Parker finds himself in; being forced to wait for his mandatory shot at the English IBF champion.
When your average 24-year-old has gone the distance on the Las Vegas strip and thrown in the towel, Joseph Parker's day is just beginning. The alarm is set for 4.50am, and 40 minutes later Parker is waiting for the security gates to open so he can jog the sidewalks of Henderson, Nevada, a city founded during World War II when the Basic Magnesium Plant was established to produce "miracle metal" for munitions casings and aeroplane engines.
Well-known strength and conditioning trainer Justin Fortune is preparing Solomon Haumono for his scheduled fight with hot heavyweight contender Joseph Parker in Christchurch on July 21.
Joseph Parker stops at the resting place of Sonny Liston, the heavyweight champion who was brought to his knees outside the ring. Liston's unexceptional grave marker at the Davis Memorial Park's Garden of Peace in Las Vegas has one distinguishing characteristic - tradition dictates those paying their respects leave a quarter-dollar coin.
New Zealand heavyweight boxer Joseph Parker has scans scheduled for both elbows in a bid to rectify nagging joint pain ahead of next month's fight with Solomon Haumono in Christchurch.
The bruise brothers are reunited - and after Izu Ugonoh went toe-to-toe on Dancing with the Stars in Poland, Joseph Parker is now looking to get his training routine back in step.
Levini Haumono lies bedridden in western Sydney nursing home, yet each time her boy enters a boxing ring he senses Mum is in his corner. The 71-year-old, who suffered a stroke five years ago, famously raced on to Belmore Oval when Solomon Haumono was technically knocked out while playing second row for the Bulldogs against Penrith during Super League's only season in 1997.
Solomon Haumono believes he has the power to expose the flaws in Joseph Parker's game he witnessed first hand last weekend. Australian Haumono, a 40-year-old former NRL star with 21 knockout wins to his name since 2000, was confirmed as Parker's next opponent with the fight scheduled for Christchurch's Horncastle Arena on July 21.
Kevin Barry believes he and Team Parker are better equipped for their world title bid than David Tua's failed challenge in 2000. Joseph Parker earned the mandatory right to challenge IBF belt holder Anthony Joshua after scoring a unanimous points win over France's Carlos Takam in their eliminator in south Auckland last Saturday night.