Joseph Parker appears to be in near career-best physical shape ahead of his comeback fight against Alexander Flores but just as significant as the heavyweight's excellent condition was his trainer's comments about Kiwi rival Junior Fa today.
After Parker weighed in at a very trim yet muscular 109.25kg – he has a clear physical advantage over the 107.95kg Flores – trainer Kevin Barry took the opportunity on stage to say Fa, who has famously beaten Parker twice as an amateur, declined to make the fight at Christchurch's Horncastle Arena an all-New Zealand affair.
It struck an odd tone given Parker's focus as he attempts to bounce back from losses to Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte has apparently been all on the Mexican-American Flores. However, it could have been an attempt to put pressure on Fa, who is fighting in the main undercard fight, and stoke the embers of a growing rivalry between the pair.
"We were originally hoping to make this an all-New Zealand fight," Barry said. "We put the offer out there to Junior Fa but his team weren't quite ready just yet. But Alexander Flores stepped up and all credit to him and his team."
Barry's statement in front of a well-attended weigh-in raised the eyebrows of both Fa and his manager Mark Keddell, the latter saying that it suggested the Parker camp were a little annoyed at the attention which is building for Fa, now ranked 10th by the WBO.