Boxing: Lucas Browne - 'My pressure and punching power will KO Joesph Parker'

Australian Lucas Browne posing at the weigh in on the eve of the boxing world heavyweight title fight in Grozny, Chechnya. Photo / Supplied.

Lucas Browne says he will pressure Joseph Parker into mistakes if the pair get in the ring next year, a game plan which the Australian brawler says will likely result in a knockout victory.

Browne is, not surprisingly, desperate to fight Parker in March given the money which will be on offer, not to mention the chance to claim the New Zealander's WBO world heavyweight title, but the bout will remain in the balance until Parker's promoter David Higgins concludes negotiations with Anthony Joshua's team.

Browne's team are aware of those talks, and the fact that Parker could fight Joshua in March instead, but they remain hopeful that the transtasman blockbuster will be made. Browne has effectively already agreed terms.

"I'm a guy who likes to knock people out - I don't like to leave it up to the judges," Browne told the Herald. "I'll put the pressure on by going to the body and take him into the later rounds - nine, 10, 11 - that's when I tend to be most dangerous."

One thing is certain - Browne won't run for 12 rounds like Hughie Fury did against Parker in Manchester in September, and he won't simply try to needle and frustrate like Razvan Cojanu before that.

Browne is a credible opponent and the fight will be explosive - both elements the undefeated Parker needs at this stage of his career.

Browne's manager Matt Clark told the Herald: "I'm not going to disrespect Joseph Parker - he's a great fighter, but we see things there we can exploit and Lucas is one of the hardest hitters in the division.

"Joe is there to be hit. He's a good boxer but he can get tagged as well and if you get tagged you can be hurt."

With 22 knockouts in 25 professional fights, the undefeated Browne, a heavily tattooed 38-year-old based in Perth but currently in camp in Sydney, will plant his feet and engage with Parker, an approach which will not displease the 25-year-old Kiwi.

In a video sent later to the Herald and posted on social media, Browne said of Parker: "He's a gentleman of a bloke, I love him, but at the same time I want to knock his head off and I want the title."

A fight against Browne, first revealed as a big possibility by the Herald five weeks ago, would probably be held in Sydney or Melbourne, and Parker's team see it as a fight which could make their man as much money as a unification bout against IBF and WBA world champion Joshua.

That is because Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn has talked down Parker's value in the media, but that could be about to change, and Higgins' transtasman negotiations could force Hearn to up his price.

Either way, it provides Parker with options and gives him something to focus on as he begins his six-week camp in Auckland with trainer Kevin Barry before Christmas.

"Hearn and I have resumed respectful discussions and have been communicating overnight," Higgins said. "We are at a very early stage in our talks."

Browne's most notable victory was a knockout win against Ruslan Chagaev for the WBA world title in Grozny last year, following which he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and was stripped of his belt. He resumed following a suspension in May this year with a second-round knockout of journeyman American Matthew Greer.

For Browne to qualify as a voluntary defence for Parker he must rank in the WBO's top 15. He could achieve that by fighting for a regional belt under the organisation's banner, a bout likely to happen in December or January.