At about 11am on Sunday we will know if Joseph Parker is as good as most of New Zealand hopes he is. The task in front of him is a mighty one.
We posed the question to a few boxing minds around the office here at Newshub, just how does the fight play out?
Duncan Garner, AM Show host
If it goes the distance, Joshua has won, especially as he's at home, so the equation is simple, Joseph needs to knock AJ out of the stadium.
Does he have a knock-out punch in him? He sure does.
Something tells me Joseph is up for this - he needs an orthodox fighter, not a slugger who wants to tie him up. AJ is that fighter. Joseph can knock him out. The biggest stage in the world is set.
If a 41-year-old can put AJ on his arse then Parker can too. I'm with Joseph.
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Ross Karl, Newshub boxing reporter
My gut says Joseph Parker could do it if he moves well, uses angles, gets in and out quickly and doesn't allow Joshua to control the range.
Joshua's chin is suspect. Parker's speed means he has as good a chance as anyone of hitting it.
If it goes the distance I can see Parker winning it. That's not because of his greater experience over 12 rounds. but more because Klitschko showed Joshua can be outpointed.
The problem is, at any point, Anthony Joshua can knock you out. While he only has five centimetres height on Parker, he has ten centimetres more reach and he is powerful.
He is an Olympic Gold medalist. He is a phenom, who has beaten a boxing great in one of the best fights you'll ever see. He has to be the favourite to win.
Reece Labuschagne, Newshub sport digital producer
I firmly believe Joseph Parker can outbox and outlast Anthony Joshua if it were to go the distance, but I just can't see Parker getting the decision victory in Cardiff.
If he's to win, he has to do one better than Wladimir Klitschko and knock the Brit out, which is an incredibly tall order.
Joshua is a freak of a nature. He's big, long and has all the power in the world. If boxers were made in a lab, he'd be the result.
There's just too much going against Parker, so I can only see Joshua getting his hand raised via a late stoppage.
Stephen Foote, Newshub sport digital producer
Joseph Parker undoubtedly has some of the tools which could cause Anthony Joshua some issues, most notably his speed.
I think it's going to come down to whether he can nullify his opponent's reach advantage, close the distance and land consistently enough against the longer Brit, while executing the kind of deft footwork he'll need to avoid those stinging counter shots.
Parker and his team, in particular David Higgins who doesn’t get as much credit as he's due, have done a superb job in placing their fighter in this position.
However, you have to wonder if it's a step too far against a generational talent like Joshua, who's battle-tested and proven against some of the best in the division as opposed to the Kiwi's relatively rag-tag bunch of victims.
While it's heavyweight boxing and it only ever takes one punch etc, it's simply too hard to overlook the exceptional threat Joshua poses, especially when you consider Joshua's defensive frailties.
Here's hoping I'm wrong.
Kristina Eddy, Newshub sport reporter
This fight is going the distance. Despite the hype out of Team Parker, following their 'best ever training camp' and the secret elbow surgery, supposedly enabling Parker to punch better than ever.. … I don't believe he has it in him to deliver the knockout punch required to beat AJ until I see it.
Parker last delivered a KO against Alexander Dimitrenko in 2016, one fight before claiming the belt he’s defending against AJ, and we haven’t seen anything as convincing since.
But I also don’t think AJ will put Parker on the canvas either. Parker’s quick on his feet and his chin is strong enough to take the fight to the full 12 rounds.
In Cardiff, in front of an 80-thousand strong pro-Joshua crowd, lasting the full 12 rounds spells Parker’s first ever professional defeat.
Andrew Gourdie, Newshub sport reporter/presenter
“Styles make fights”, and Parker v Joshua will be a cracker, they’ve been telling us. Two fighters who come forward, who fight on the front foot; this one won’t go the distance. Someone’s getting knocked out.
I can see this going the distance.
Both fighters are undefeated, and I’m not at all convinced we’ll see a knockout on Sunday.
There are some big unknowns heading into this. Both fighters have slimmed down for the fight, and there’s no telling how that’ll affect their punch power. We don’t know if Joshua, for all his physical advantages, will be able to put enough punches together to send Joe to the canvas. We can’t say for sure how the surgery on Parker’s elbows has improved his speed and power, and whether he can produce the Joe of old in Cardiff.
This is definitely the toughest fight of Parker’s career, but likewise Parker’s the toughest Joshua’s faced.
I’m backing Parker to do enough during the 12 rounds to win on points
Brad Lewis, Newshub sport digital producer
I have long argued that Joseph Parker is better than some doubters will have you believe.
He is fast, powerful and his cardio is world class, as he's shown finishing the stronger against both Andy Ruiz and Carlos Takam.
But Anthony Joshua will be a bridge too far for the Kiwi in my opinion.
The Brit has Mike Tyson level power, and at 6ft 6 that equates to a scary man, folks. AJ proved he has heart against Wladimir Klitschko, as well as showing he could more than hang with the best heavyweight of the last decade.
The fight will be competitive but I see Joe getting caught late and losing by stoppage. Power will win this fight for AJ.
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