Facing the truth...Dillian Whyte delivered a message to Joseph Parker's failing operation. Photo / Getty
Facing the truth...Dillian Whyte delivered a message to Joseph Parker's failing operation. Photo / Getty
Kevin Barry needs to admit to an honourable defeat and quit as Joseph Parker's lead trainer.
In the cold light of the day after a dark night for Parker's career in London, it may be the only thing able to halt a sad slide which included the failure to go, as promised, to "dark places" in the unification bout against Anthony Joshua this year.
After the latest sorry showing in what turned into a thriller against Dillian Whyte, the big-picture verdict is that Parker isn't a good enough boxer to make up for his lack of mongrel in the heavyweight division.
It's not necessarily Barry's fault, but it's also time to find out if a radical change can do the trick.
If this was netball or league or just about anything else in this country, we'd be having a three-month review, perish the thought, after Parker was clubbed to a unanimous verdict defeat against reformation man Whyte.
You don't need three months and a budget to know that Camp Parker is crying out for new input, although I doubt this excuse-making operation will see it that way.
With all due respect to trainer Barry - and it's respect he deserves - and in the knowledge that Parker won't want to disentangle himself from his career-makers, their operation is failing big-time.
The bright lights of Las Vegas need to be turned off so that Parker can — if he has the motivation — get to work resurrecting a battered career in a new home.
Parker almost froze for 10 rounds against Whyte, and Barry even sounded exasperated when telling Parker "come on buddy" mid-bout.
Joseph Parker and trainer Kevin Barry. Photo / Photosport
The fighter only rallied at the end when Whyte could hardly hold himself up, the south Londoner having timed the emptying of his tank to dangerous perfection.
Parker's head is clearly in the wrong place, and it certainly was when the Brixton Brawler — a mighty man of limited skill — landed a terrific left hand on a gloriously open target in the ninth round.
The only saving grace, for Parker fans, was a fight which eventually provided brilliant entertainment at odds with their hero's inactivity, but it was the new home of heavyweight boxing which was left to celebrate.
Parker spouted his usual crowd-pleasing stuff, thanking all and sundry like the best supporting actor on Oscar night, and talking about learning, learning, learning even though he doesn't seem to be learning at all.
Parker is standing still at best, going backward by most judgments. The desperation just isn't there, and nor are almost all the things Parker and co. like to promise before his fights.
Whyte meanwhile proved the mean streets still lead to box office success. Whyte ran with a rough crowd in south London when he was a youngster, which is another way of saying he was a rough character.
Many of the great boxers in history came from similar places, particularly in America, although there are notable exceptions including the greatest, Muhammad Ali, whose background ranked — for those times — as arguably middle class.
The best fighter is a hungry fighter, they used to say, and Aucklander Parker fights as if he's never been far from a decent snack.
He copped some of the most savage blows ever delivered, from a commentary box. The British Sky TV team, which included boxers Carl Froch and Tony Bellew, dissed Parker's Mr Nice Guy act and even accused him of "feeling sorry for himself" during the fight.
And Parker did look downcast, as another opponent tore up his script. Whether he deserved such savage reviews is another matter, although having promised to "punch with bad intentions" he left himself wide open.
Unfortunately, the furious preliminary bout between Dereck Chisora and Carlos Takam, which Chisora settled in the time honoured heavyweight manner, only made Parker seem worse.
The story of the Kiwi battler making good only goes so far, especially at $50 a pop for subscribers.
Parker undersells the occasion after defeat, having over-sold his ability beforehand. Key people like promoter Eddie Hearn, not to mention many subscribers, may not be buying any longer.
