Twenty-four hours removed from a narrow victory over Derek Chisora, Joseph Parker has made an important decision on his future.
The Kiwi heavyweight has revealed that he's seen good progress in the last six weeks, and will continue working under new trainer Andy Lee.
But in a surprise admission, he's also spoken candidly about his path to another shot at a world title, raising questions about his immediate hunger to get back to the top.
"My mind, at the moment, is not really focused on the pathway back to being champion," Parker tells Newshub.
After a contentious victory in Manchester on Sunday (NZ time) - where he earned a razor-close split decision victory - talk quickly turned to a rematch with the Brit.
And while Parker is interested, manager David Higgins says he wants to see his fighter aim higher.
"Not necessarily," Higgins tells Newshub, when asked if a rematch would be in Parker's best interests.
"Unless there was an offer we can't refuse. In terms of another world title shot… it might make better sense to have a 'fight off' against one of the other boxers in the top three or five."
The former WBO heavyweight champion says he needs to bide his time over another shot at the title, which he admits may be further beyond his reach than he may have imagined.
"It's not as close as I thought it was," Parker says. "It's still a distance away.
"I want to work with Andy on things I need to work on. I don't want to be fighting for a world title and lose because I didn't work on things I need to improve."
It's a sign Parker feels he's heading in the right direction in his short time working under new trainer Andy Lee, revealing he intends to commit long-term to the UK-based trainer.
"This was a good start and a tester to see where we're at as a team," he says.
"I believe Andy will be the person I'll be training with long term, from now on.
"I feel like it'll be a long partnership. I'll say it now… it's going to be a long partnership."
Parker also hopes to continue his partnership with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing.
His win over Chisora brought an end to his three-fight deal, and negotiations for a new deal will begin this week.
"David [Higgins] is going to go away and get the best deal for our team, depending on what it is. He might shop around."
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