He may not be a flawless person or a flawless fighter but Joseph Parker is close to the flawless host. Photo / Getty Images
He may not be a flawless person or a flawless fighter but Joseph Parker is close to the flawless host. Photo / Getty Images
ANY GIVEN MONDAY
If Joseph Parker gets Dereck Chisora on the undercard of the Andy Ruiz-Anthony Joshua rematch towards the end of the year, as is hoped, he'll look to get another fight under his belt in September.
There are a lot of ifs and buts in boxing, but that'sthe plan according to Parker's manager David Higgins.
If you're a close follower of the fight game, which I cannot profess to be, that's an interesting prospect.
What is far more fascinating than his business, however, is how he goes about his business.
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He's not a flawless boxer. Has there ever been one?
But having spent a week on Planet Parker, I'm pretty sure that he is a flawless host, the most naturally engaging athlete I've seen in action. You spend time with him, you drink the Kool-Aid – it's that simple.
I couldn't tell you who half the people were that drifted in and out of the Parker camp this week. It's not normally my game. Just picking up on casual conversations, though, people had come to Providence, Rhode Island, from places spread as far and wide as London, Las Vegas, New York, New Jersey, Auckland, Nelson and points in between.
Parker made every one of those people feel like their journey was the most important. Not once did it feel contrived.
That's a gift.
Sportswriting is a privileged position because you get to see geniuses at work.
You watch Richie McCaw run the perfect line to hit a breakdown first and win a turnover and you know you're witnessing greatness at play.
You watch Kane Williamson compile a frictionless century and you wonder if you'll ever see the likes again.
Parker is not in that class yet, but he outmatches them in personal magnetism.
Joseph Parker and Alex Leapai during their heavyweight bout in Providence, Rhode Island. Photo / Photosport
That's not a knock on two of our legends. What they have is a singular focus that drove/ drives them to be the best. Theirs is a tunnel vision, whereas Parker's is peripheral.
It makes me wonder if that quality will get in the way of him being the best boxer he can be.
There's a point where he surely needs to learn to say "no" more often.
Then again, would it be worth the sacrifice?
He'd be a better fighter, possibly, but he wouldn't be Joseph Parker.
