JOSEPH PARKER has saint Tyson Fury to thank for saving him from the most miserable Christmas in sport.
The 30-year-old New Zealand heavyweight has left his beautiful wife and four daughters at home in their island paradise for another gruelling training camp in his adopted town of Morecambe.
Following September’s spectacular yet punishing loss to Joe Joyce, Kiwi Parker has a comeback bout against Jack Massey confirmed for January 21 in Manchester.
That means his Christmas has been cancelled and his New Year will be almost anything but happy, after the rest of his team flew out to be with their families.
But the Gypsy King, who has been based in Morecambe almost 20 years, will open the doors to his family mansion for his training partner and friend, to make sure his only Christmas companion is not a poxy plastic tree.
The former WBO world champion said: “I was at home training but my wife saw that it had no purpose and told me ‘you need to get a fight’.
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“She was the one who saw that in me and she told me ‘get back over to England and fight again’. So it’s thanks to my wife while I am here.
“Me and my trainer Andy Lee trained this week but he has rightly gone back to Ireland to spend Christmas and New Year with his young family, even my live-in chef Pressley has gone to Spain for five days with his missus.
“It’s just me here in the flat and this Christmas tree, bit of a crappy plastic one.
“But everyone in Morecambe is so welcoming, I have been invited to so many homes and gatherings but I can’t risk getting ill before a fight so I need to stay healthy and fit.
“Tyson has invited me over to have dinner with him and his family but I have to focus on the fact that I have left my family to work, so that is what I am here to do; work.
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“I suppose I could go and buy myself a present, wrap it up myself and then act surprised when I open it on Christmas morning but I have everything I need.
“I just want to train and fight.
“I will take the day off and take up Tyson’s offer but then it will be back home to my tree, maybe sing a little carol and back to training on Monday.”
Parker won his crown in 2016 and made two defences before being paid a life-changing £6m to meet Anthony Joshua and lose a decision in 2018.
He has since banked more PPV money for British battles with Dillian Whyte, Derek Chisora and Juggernaut Joyce.
But he insists a burning desire to compete is what keeps dragging him away from heaven to hell.
Even in the bonkers world of boxing, Parker’s willingness to still swap white Pacific beaches, ocean fishing and coconut roasted pork for Morecambe Bay, crabbing and fish’n’chips looks crazy.
“A lot of people do ask me why I keep coming back to Morecambe when I have lovely weather back home, my family and the beaches back home,” he laughed.
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“They know I have achieved some good things and made some money.
“But I just love boxing and the challenges. All real fighters are like that.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
