Whyte vs Parker: Joseph Parker not distracted by referee debate ahead of Dillian Whyte fight
Tuesday 24 July 2018 06:10, UK
Joseph Parker gave his approval after Ian John-Lewis was appointed referee for the Dillian Whyte fight, but intends to take fate into his own hands with a commanding win.
The New Zealander's team had raised concerns about the officials for Saturday's crucial heavyweight clash at The O2, live on Sky Sports Box Office, as they were unhappy with the performance of Italian referee Giuseppe Quartarone in Parker's points loss to Anthony Joshua in March.
Parker is pleased the experienced John-Lewis will be the man in the middle, although the ongoing debate about the referee has not served as a distraction ahead of a high-stakes fight with Whyte.
"My focus is training and getting in shape, and preparing well for the fight," Parker told Sky Sports. "I've left that to my team, [trainer] Kevin [Barry] and [promoter] David Higgins.
"As long as they're happy, I'm happy and I'm looking forward to just getting in there.
"It is a good ref, I think everyone is happy."
After losing his WBO belt to Joshua at Cardiff, Parker wants to propel himself back into title contention with an emphatic victory over Whyte.
I'm sure he's confident as well, so that's going to make it a great, exciting fight and I'm sure it's going to be a war
"It's very important," he said. "I want to make a statement and I want to be dominant in this fight.
"In order to be champion again, I have to fight these great challengers and also cement my place at the top. It's important to fight good, fight smart, but look great.
"He's a top challenge and lot of respect to him and what he's achieved in the boxing world, but I feel confident coming into this fight.
"I'm sure he's confident as well, so that's going to make it a great, exciting fight and I'm sure it's going to be a war."
Parker is fully aware of the threat posed by Whyte, who produced an explosive knockout win over Lucas Browne in his last fight at The O2.
"We're hungry to be champion again and we're hungry to be known as the team that didn't take any easy fights," he said.
"We want to fight everyone out there, the best in the world, and we believe he's one of the best and it's a good start for us."
Watch Dillian Whyte vs Joseph Parker with Katie Taylor, Dereck Chisora, Joshua Buatsi and Conor Benn all on the undercard, live on Sky Sports Box Office, from The O2, Saturday, July 28.
You can book via your Sky remote, via sky.com/boxofficeonline here and even if you aren't a Sky subscriber you can book and watch it via skysports.com/boxofficelive
