Joseph Parker starts playing with the big boys on Saturday when he fights giant Ukrainian Alexander Dimitrenko - and one of the best things he's got going for him is a lack of respect from European boxing.
Former world featherweight champion, the highly regarded Barry McGuigan, wrote in his Daily Mirror column last month about the need for British IBF world heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua to fight better opponents: "Parker can punch but he is vulnerable and laboured to a points win in his eliminator against Carlos Takam in May. Doubtless, he will go the same way as the others but that won't represent progress. Joshua needs to get better and that won't happen fighting the Dominic Breazeales and Joseph Parkers of this world."
David Price, the 2.03m Englishman and Parker's scheduled opponent on the undercard for Joshua's next bout against tough Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev on November 26 (we should know this week if the bout is on), said: "Parker's...young, has fast hands but I do believe I'll knock him out. I don't think he's been hit properly yet and, obviously, power is my main asset. If Parker's fighting Dimitrenko and then me in 6-8 weeks, that's a demanding schedule. Those training camps will take it out of you."
Dimitrenko got in on the act too: "In his fight against Carlos Takam, he lost - he really did lose it - but he was named the winner...I have seen in his eyes that he is not ready yet."
All this disrespect is really rather good for Parker, even acknowledging boxing's trash talk is geared more to selling tickets and pay-per-views than true critiques of form and ability. He may not be flying under the radar exactly but underdog status never hurts.