Monday 18 January 2016 14:04, UK
Joseph Parker was not impressed with new IBF heavyweight champion Charles Martin and hopes to take another step towards a world title shot on Saturday.
The unbeaten Kiwi currently sits at No 7 in the IBF rankings and watched with interest as Martin claimed the vacant belt after Vyacheslav Glazkov suffered a fight-ending knee injury in the third round.
Parker can edge closer to a fight with Martin if he claims his 18th straight win against Jason Bergman this weekend and saw nothing in Martin to deter him from pursuing a fight with the champion.
"Charles Martin, we watched him, and he won the IBF championship of the world, but we don't think he's anything special," said Parker.
"We're heading in the right direction after seeing what they did in the ring."
Deontay Wilder also retained his WBC belt with an explosive knockout win over Artur Szpilka in the ninth round and the American then became embroiled in a heated post-fight exchange with Tyson Fury.
We're heading in the right direction after seeing what they did in the ring.
Parker believes the outspoken champions have injected even more interest into the sport's glamour division.
"Having these characters in the division is definitely going to give us a lot more attention," he said. "I believe it's going to bring more excitement to the heavyweight division.
"We have Wilder who talks a lot and Fury who talks a lot."
Trainer Kevin Barry feels the 24-year-old Parker needs to gain a little more experience before he can face the title holders.
"These guys don't get to be heavyweight champions of the world without having a lot of skill and a lot of ability," said Barry.
"I like the path that we are on at the moment. I like the progress that Joseph has shown me. I think that we are in a very good, solid position, but we have work to do."
