By Duncan Johnstone

Proud Kiwi-Samoan boxer Joseph Parker is dedicating Saturday night's fight in Palmerston North to the memory of good friend Jerry Collins.

Collin's four-month old baby Ayla remains in a critical condition at a Lapeyronie Hospital in Montpellier after suffering a brain bleed.

Parker takes on German heavyweight champion Yakup 'The Scorpion' Saglam and made it clear that Collins will be on his mind.

"I'm going to dedicate this fight to the uso [Samoan for brother] …  he's one of my brothers," Parker, who has Samoan parents, said on Monday.

"I followed his career closely … 34 is so young to die. Just hearing the sad news about him and his partner was terrible. It was sad for a lot of us. My heart goes out to his daughter."

Parker said he finally got to meet Collins in 2102 and they had clicked.

"Jerry Collins was one of the guys that I looked up to and the when I got the opportunity to meet him for the first time, I was excited. We took a lot of photos together. He was a nice guy towards me.

"We partied together at times and chilled together. I have a lot of good memories of Jerry Collins."

Parker was at his Auckland hotel on Monday when Saglam turned up for a press conference, allowing them a brief meeting ahead of formalities. The Turkish-born German-based fighter only arrived from Frankfurt on Sunday night.

Parker said first impressions showed that Saglam presented genuine threats with his height and fitness.

"He looks in good shape and he's the same height. It's going to be a good challenge … a better challenge than fighting those shorter guys I have in the past."

"I believe it is my toughest challenge. He presents a lot of power, it's going to be a dangerous fight."

With 34 wins in 38 fights and 31 victories coming via knockouts, the 38-year-old Saglam certainly boasts power and experience though the quality of some of his opponents will bring questions about his worthiness for this challenge against the fast-rising and unbeaten Parker.