Is Joseph Parker too nice to be an elite heavyweight?
Not according to trainer Kevin Barry, but he has to be willing to get down and dirty with the best fighters in the world.
Parker came up short against Dillian Whyte in a thrilling 12-round bout that saw both men knocked of their feet, with the Brit surviving a late onslaught from the Kiwi.
Barry believes the fight was there for the taking for Parker, but Whyte's 'mongrel' attitude ultimately proved the difference.
"I say this in the most respectful way, Whyte is a real mongrel," Barry told Boxing Social.
"He does everything he has to do to win.
"He uses his forearm, he uses his elbows, he uses his head, he pulls your head down with his hands, he will push you over the top rope, he will hit you after the bell.
"This is about survival for him.
"He grew up in the rough streets where getting home from school with your life each day was survival.
"A tough guy who was brought up in the toughest of ways. For him, that win at all costs, fight until the end attitude, really came through in the fight."
Barry explained that they knew Whyte would bring 'dirty boxing' tactics to London.
Parker copped cheap shots from sparring partner Malik Scott during training camp in order for the Kiwi to prepare for some uncomfortable moments during the fight.
"We had talked about Joe bringing out mongrel in this fight and I think we saw a little bit of it," Barry said.
"But when you talk about mongrels you are talking about a junkyard dog.
"Joe has had a great life. He was brought up by a couple of terrific parents. He is a very respectful guy who everyone loves. Joe has never had a street fight in his life.
"Joe has never thrown a punch outside of a boxing ring in anger his whole life.
"I think we could see that last night, there were glimpses of that mongrel, but I think if we are going to be competitive at the highest level we are really going to have to focus more on executing that game plan to a tee and bringing out more mongrel.
"There was one guy who obviously was prepared to do anything he could to win while the other guy was trying to win the right way."
Barry was steadfast that Parker remains near the top of the heavyweight tree.
At 26-years of age the Kiwi is only just approaching the time-tested heavyweight prime of the mid-to-late twenties.
Barry said the best is the to come for the Auckland native,
"Joe showed the true heart of a champion. He bit down on his mouthguard and dug really deep in the latter rounds when we had to win those rounds. We came really close to securing a comeback victory.
"There is still a lot more in Joseph Parker. He showed qualities last night that he is one of the elite fighters of the division. We look forward to much bigger challenges and better fights in the future."
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