Boxing: Parker camp brace for dirty tactics

Kevin Barry is confident Joseph Parker can deal to German champion Yakup Saglam when the two face off next week. Photo / Getty Images

New Zealand heavyweight Joseph Parker is preparing for a dirty fight against German champion Yakup Saglam next Saturday.

Parker and trainer Kevin Barry are wary about what they say is Saglam's reputation for hitting the back of the head and below the belt - tactics which could unsettle the undefeated 23-year-old in Palmerston North.

The last time Barry raised similar concerns about an opponent of Parker's was 11 months ago ahead of his convincing TKO victory over Brian Minto, a fighter known for leading with his head and using his elbows.

Barry said the 38-year-old Saglam, nicknamed the Scorpion, was potentially more dangerous than Minto because he was much taller - about the same height as Parker, who stands 1.94m.

In Manukau last July, Parker was relentless in his punishment of Minto, who later complained about a broken nose suffered in training, forcing the American to quit on his stool at the end of the seventh round.

Of his 13 professional wins, the Minto fight was one of Parker's best, and Barry hopes his charge responds to the threat posed by Saglam, who has a 34-win, 3-loss record.

"I don't like bagging the guys we're fighting but this guy is a dirty fighter," Barry said of Saglam. "With Brian Minto, everyone saw on TV [that he used] headbutts and elbows, and this German has a lot of dirty elements. He hits to the back of the head, he hits low. All the fights I've watched, he punches low repeatedly.

"I know with his experience, age and reputation that he's going to see Joe as a young guy and he's going to try to throw him off his game and the way he's going to do that is fight his type of fight and that's dirty. He's a guy who will do anything he can to win.

"I love that because I see that as part of the challenge for this fight. It's another step up for Joe - for the way he handles a powerful, heavy-handed guy who fights rough. We're going to be fighting other rough guys on the way up the rankings."

Parker, fresh from a tough training camp of just over two months which included a stint in Miami sparring with Wladimir Klitschko at the Ukrainian's invitation, is in a confident mood. That confidence is based on his extensive preparation and the fact he knows his jab will make Saglam's predilection for coming forward uncomfortable at best and dangerous at worst.

"With the dirty tactics we've seen him use, that jab is important to keep him off," Parker said. "That's why we've been training so hard."

Parker's last fight was against American Jason Pettaway in Manukau in March, a fight which the South Aucklander won by way of a fourth-round knockout, but it was a victory he possibly tried too hard to force. Parker's night was made more difficult by Pettaway's reluctance to engage and it led to an "average" rating by Barry.

While Saglam is a much more dangerous opponent in terms of his weaponry, his confidence could also serve to make Parker look good.

"I like guys who come on to Joe rather than him having to chase someone down like a Pettaway," Barry said. "This guy backs his own power and I love that because, for me, Joe, with his world-class jab and hand speed, can open up holes.

"This is a heavy-handed guy. He's had 22 knockouts in the first three rounds. We need to be very focused and disciplined. It's very important Joseph follows the gameplan and controls the distance in the early stages of this fight. We don't want to make mistakes or get careless."