Kiwi Joseph Parker says he has been amazed by the support he has received since arriving In London for his heavyweight showdown against Dillian Whyte this weekend.
The two sluggers will do battle at London's O2 Arena on Sunday (NZ time) in what will be a career-defining fight for both fighters.
A year ago, the 26-year-old Aucklander was an unknown on the streets of England, but since having fought both Hughie Fury in 2017 and Anthony Joshua in April in the UK, Parker is now a household name.
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Speaking to The AM Show from a public workout in Stratford, Parker said he is surprised with all the support he and his team have been getting.
"You can always see the Kiwis when you look around and see the traditional tattoos," said Parker.
"It is different doing a public workout in a mall. You can give back to the public and show them there is a fight going on.
"It is quite surprising to see the support and love our team is getting here."
Parker will be using that support and confidence to stay motivated as there is plenty on the line for both fighters.
A win could propel either fighter into a future title fight with Anthony Joshua, while a loss would send the loser tumbling down the rankings.
This will be Parker's 26th career fight, and he has labelled this one as the biggest of his career.
"The winner of this fight gets a better chance of fighting Anthony Joshua, or Deontay Wilder, while the loser will go down and will have to climb up again.
"In a way, this is the biggest fight because of the position we are at and what we want to achieve.
"We want to two-time world champion, we want to be a unified champion, so this is a big challenge for us.
"I feel like this new Joseph Parker is going to be more aggressive. Before I used to come in an box and say 'it's going to be a good fight' and hope to get in some good shots, but this time I want a knockout."
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Join us at 5am Sunday for live updates of the Parker vs Whyte heavyweight bouts.
