Whyte vs Chisora 2: Joseph Parker says Dillian Whyte hit him harder than Anthony Joshua
Friday 21 December 2018 14:13, UK
Joseph Parker has first-hand experience of Dillian Whyte's hurtful punches and issued a warning to Derek Chisora ahead of his battle with 'The Body Snatcher.'
The New Zealander was floored for the first time in his professional career during a July points defeat to Whyte, who will next face Chisora in a rematch this Saturday night at The O2, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
Book Whyte vs Chisora 2 online here
Watch Whyte vs Chisora 2 online here
Parker also fought Anthony Joshua in March, becoming the only opponent to take him the distance in a unanimous decision loss, and the 26-year-old reveals how Whyte posed a different challenge when the first bell rang.
What strengths did Whyte show in your fight?
For me, he had the will to win. I caught him with some good shots, and I know I rocked him in the beginning, but he dug deep, he stayed in there.
He puts on good pressure, he's a heavy-handed person, a heavy-handed fighter.
How do you look back on that physical battle?
The head butt, things happen in boxing, you can't prepare for it, but he's rough and tough. He just did everything he could to win.
It's not surprising to see, but I could have done more in terms of trying to rough him up, but he showed how bad he wanted it. For me, it was a privilege fighting someone like that. Even though I lost the fight, I learned a lot more from that then I did with fights that I had won.
Were you surprised by his long reach?
Definitely longer than I expected. I thought I was out of range and then boom, it hit me. He's got long arms and he uses his jab a lot better, boxed a lot better than I thought he would box.
What did you think of his counter punching?
Listen that's how he caught me with that left hook when I was getting off an uppercut from far away. He countered well.
Did Joshua or Whyte hit you harder?
I can't really sort of compare the two, because Joshua didn't really hit me as flush maybe, or hit me as clear as he wanted to.
Dillian Whyte obviously caught me flush and knocked me down, so for me, Whyte hits harder because he actually caught me flush.
Does Whyte need to work on his stamina?
I think it was quite a busy fight for a heavyweight fight. We threw some good punches, combinations, and I feel like after 12 rounds of throwing a lot of punches and wrestling in the ring, of course you're going to be tired.
Maybe the fitness he can work on, and he's said he's going to come in lighter than he did for our fight. I'm sure he'll be a lot fitter and he'll learn from that as well.
What would you do in a rematch?
I would be busier. I think the first few rounds for me was the game-plan that we had in place, and then the head butt knocked me off and caused me a bit of discomfort in the ring.
But if I fight like I did for the first few rounds, the whole 12 rounds, I think it would have been a different result. That's the thing about boxing, because if you get another chance, you can prove everyone wrong.
Watch Dillian Whyte vs Derek Chisora 2, from The O2, London, on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Box Office, from 6pm. Book it via your Sky remote or book it online here.
Even if you aren't a Sky TV subscriber you can book and watch it at skysports.com/boxofficelive.
