Joseph Parker has revealed the personal toll of being away from his family during his camps in Las Vegas and has weighed up returning full-time to Auckland.
Parker has two daughters: Elizabeth, 18 months old, and Shiloh, six months, with partner Laine. Shiloh's birth in July has taken Parker's homesicknessto a new level during his camp as he trains for his fight against Alexander Flores in Christchurch in a fortnight.
In a first, Laine and Elizabeth plan to be ringside at Horncastle Arena for the fight, Parker's first since consecutive losses to Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte in the United Kingdom.
However, rather than return to New Zealand, Parker is likely to compromise and bring his family to Las Vegas while in camp. He currently stays with the family of his trainer Kevin Barry, with whom he is close, and would likely rent an apartment to stay in with Laine and his daughters.
"This has been the hardest time," Parker said. "It was hard with my first daughter and now it's even harder because there are two. We're going to make a plan about having them here during camp because I think it's important to pursue the career and titles we want to get to but I don't want to miss out on family time — the growth — and seeing them every day."
New Zealand heavyweight boxer Joseph Parker. Photo / Photosport
Parker has stayed with Barry in Las Vegas since the pair linked in 2013, a year after the Kiwi heavyweight turned professional.
The main benefits of training in Las Vegas are its elevation above sea level (900m) and access to quality sparring partners. It seems a contradiction because of Las Vegas' well-earned reputation as a party town but an added advantage of the 26-year-old staying away has been to remove him from temptation.
"Before he won the world title, Joe was a young guy with a lot of friends, and as he grew in stature and fame, a lot of them wanted him for this and that and parties," Barry said. "When you're training, you need to be training and removed from that. But he was a younger and less mature guy at the time and he's matured a lot."
Parker added: "I think it would be too hard in New Zealand. Here it's elevated and I have access to sparring partners… it's easier here and we have a great set-up that has worked for the last five or six years.
"But guys like Shane Cameron and David Tua did a good job in New Zealand – it can be done."
Parker will be heavily favoured to stop Flores in Christchurch – his first fight in New Zealand in 18 months – and afterwards will target meeting the winner of the Whyte v Dereck Chisora fight in London on December 22.
However, it's probable that Parker will fight again in New Zealand in April before that bout, which would be back in the UK.
Patrick McKendry travelled to Las Vegas with assistance from Flooring Xtra, a major sponsor of the Joseph Parker v Alexander Flores fight at Christchurch's Horncastle Arena on December 15.
