It's sort of amazing how the Kronk legacy has survived all this time and fighters are still walking out repping a gym that's been derelict for decades.
Why wasn't he a ''kronk man'' against Wilder and Zhang when he was dancing around the ring? I love how Parker has suddenly turned into this Samoan Mike Tyson clone overnight after knocking out a bloke who had zero training camp and travelled half way across the world and landed 20 hours before the fight.
It takes years to change styles, and most fighters don't even do it their whole career. Plus Zhang and Wilder can still be dangerous on the back foot, I still can't get over that Helen's KO from such an innocuous punch. Where as Wardley has now power and struggles to even throw punches on the back foot. Wardley needs to be moving forward to mount his offense which is his whole thing, if Parker keeps him on the back foot Wardley will run out of ideas quick.
@Kiwi_in_America you have been calling him Kronk Parker from the moment he started with Lee 1 knock out 3 years later and it starts again
Wilder was shot to pieces and Zhang, while not shot, was past his best and a stone overweight. I don't know what "British level" means, his victim Clarke already beat Dave Allen with ease. If Price-conqueror Christian Hammer could win a European title then Wardley certainly could. Clarke and Huni were both undefeated amateur medallists at a high level, in their physical prime, and Wardley KO'd them. He's a legitimate top 10 contender. And Parker is hardly immune to "British level" (Joshua, Whyte, Joyce, even Chisora 1).
I am backing Wardley for this one. Probsbly wrong but not living the conditioning of Parker for this fight
I remember Kronk in its heday and it never had a reputation for particularly "aggressive" boxers. I might be misremembering but aside from Hearns the top Kronk gym fighters were not devastatingly aggressive explosive. Wasn't it guys like Hilmer Kenty, Milton McCrory and Duane Thomas? As for Emanuel Steward didn't he train Wladimir Klitschko into an increasingly cautious jab and grab artist ?
People were calling Parker "mediocre" and "average" and "not true world class" and "second tier at most" etc. not so long ago. Give Wardley some credit too, he knocks good fighters out. He's dangerous and he's not an old man. He might still be a bit unproven and an unknown quantity but I'm glad it's not Parker against Chisora, Wallin or Jermaine Franklin.
Yeah it is funny how quickly the narrative on fighters change. I think Dubois pulling out and then the Bakole KO is what switched it up for a lot of people. Suddenly Parker was the guy who lost his title shot and destroyed the boogeyman in 2 rounds. And in reverse Dubois went from being everyone's darling after KO'ing Joshua to a bit of villain for pulling out last minute, the radio silence and then acting arrogant to Usyk.
I don't think I am The sparing in camp helps a body prepare for getting punched He had none of that Not saying he was ever gonna win but without that sparring he was essentially gonna have to stop Parker quickly And nobody has ever done that so that was a huge gamble
Tonight we saw that "Kronk" and Parker may not be the best fit after all A coutious, backfoot Parker may have won those final rounds