Abel could massively improve his stamina and his footwork going forwards, better enabling him to cut off the ring and nullifying the fact that he doesn't have the greatest reach. But I'd like to see Roach really make feints a bigger staple of his game and teach him the basics of getting in and out of the pocket to best utilise his handspeed, which is probably his best natural asset. Either way, I've long thought he would stagnate under Barry, and I think that was apparent well before he took back to back losses.
The problem is that he doesn't have a professional relationship with Kevin Barry. He's looked at more as a family friend. Doing business with friends does not always workout because then there is the chance for more liberties to be taken and more reluctance to tell the other person what needs to be said because you are afraid of jeopardizing the relationship. What Parker needs is time out and a new trainer who is more of an authoritarian rather than a buddy who is always there to put an arm around his shoulder.
I think Ronnie Shields could do wonders for Parker. But, Parker would have to be willing to do the work. Parker has no sense of urgency and his footwork and the way he executes his punching also needs a lot of work. Even when he was hitting the pads in preparation for Whyte he wasn't turning his back foot when he threw his right hand. His coach should corrected that, but never did. Whyte's conditioning was awful, but he at least knows how to throw his straight rights and hooks properly. Tommy Brooks if he still trains fighters could also be a good coach for Parker.
Parker peaked around the Takam fight and has shown no improvement since. The best trainer in the world would have a hard time getting anything out of him now. He has had habits trained into him that would be difficult to get rid of now. He should have started his career in the US with an American trainer and promoter.
It was inevitable... After hearing that he will remain with Barry, I have little sympathy for the ride from here. He will fight against B level heavies for the next 3 fights to work his way back up. Fight the likes of the Chisora and get back up in contention, but once again fail at the top. He will never be elite, so long as he remains loyal to Kevin and Duco. The Fury team would do wonders for Parker.
He might get another big payday or two but no trainer is going to make him real champ. I don't think he has the ability or size.
I'm not convinced it's the trainer. At the start Parker looked like he was all over Whyte, and like numerous times in the past - he's looked like he's been really really good but then something happens which he doesn't like or didn't expect and he reverts back to the worst version of Parker, one we've seen numerous times in the past. When Joe is sticking to the plan etc you can see that he's top class, he clearly had the tools to win the fight convincingly - but as Barry basically said, he can't get in the ring and do anything about it if all the work they've done over and over is abandoned on the day. It's all on Joe and Joe often seems to get a bit lost when things get a bit wild.
If someone can tame a rogue like Mike Tyson, you can tame a bright and loyal character like Parker. I know exactly what you are saying re the lightswitch change in his persona. It is incredibly frustrating... BUT your trainer is there to deal with situations like that. Parker needed to be taken out of that mindframe. I'm not actually convinced he knew it was a headclash initially. He was clearly rattled for the next 3 rounds. In that time he was there for the picking. Whyte had the chance to stop him within 8 but failed to finish Joe off. Joe is weak mentally... He needs someone to harness that and work from it. Barry obviously isn't focusing on it.
ingles or the furys. they're good christian chaps and the uk culture is closer to the kiwi culture than the usa so he won't get as homesick. a simple guy like him needs a tight knit camp
I had really thought/hoped that Joe had shaken that a bit going by some of his attitude leading up to this fight, he seemed like his confidence had grown and he was sure about himself. Mike Tyson was a nut case, one could argue that the rogue in him is a huge part of got him where he was. There are guys that have heart, and guys that don't have heart - often the ones are one way or another don't change from trainer to trainer... just their arsenal and game plan change. I'm not sure that you can train the thing Parker seems lacking in, just try and manage the risk.
I'm not sure if it would make that much of a difference.. I's sorta leaning towards him not quite being good enough to reach the top level.. It not so much when everything is going his own way he is good but he doesn't seem to be able to adapt very well and it is an important skill to have if you want to be the best..
Exactly the same as what my Dad has noted of Parker. We watched him in the amateurs when I was fighting. Really nice kid, big heart and has a heap of natural talent. The type to question your ability when growing up, even if you're winning. But, as he has matured, there has always been this kink in his armour, as you noted. I believe it is his inability to adapt. When he is pressured to go against the game plan, he folds mentally and reverts to what he knows... Dropping his hands and slugging. It happened against Patrick Mailata in the amateurs, Tupou early as a pro, against his sparring partner and now AJ & Whyte. A big part of it is Parker. Just like Tua, Frazier and Mosely. They all struggled to adapt when the fight wasn't going their way. The point i'm making with Parker is, Barry has failed to change his mentality. He has developed Parker much better than I thought he ever would... but there are flaws in Parker that can be changed by a world class trainer. - Hands down unnecessarily - Failing to tuck the chin on engagement & looking at the floor - Keeping his head dead centre, even though he can move well - Keeping his chin high and centre when going backwards I would love to see him picked up by the Fury camp. They would make one hell of a fighter out of Joe.
