Kiwi heavyweight Joseph Parker knows all too well what a defeat to unheralded Brit Jack Massey would mean for his boxing career.
The pair will square off at Manchester Arena on Sunday (NZ time), with live coverage on both Three and ThreeNow.
Parker aims to bounce back from his first career knockout, after falling to Brit Joe Joyce for the vacant WBO interim heavyweight title last September. He now has the perfect opportunity to launch himself back into contention, with a victory over a division newcomer.
A career cruiserweight, Massey will make his heavyweight debut against Parker, with victory offering a huge jump in the rankings.
But Parker refuses to let Massey make a name for himself off of his own and believes defeat isn't an option.
"Let's face it, if I lose, I will be way down [the standings]," he said. "It will be like, 'Where is Joseph Parker?'
"I'll be out of the picture.
"I'm in great shape, I'm ready to go. When I'm sleeping well and feeling good I am dangerous.
"I've put in the work and made the sacrifices, because I know what it takes to win."
Standing 1.93m, Parker holds a 5cm height advantage over Massey, but expects to dominate his opponent on the scales.
Parker weighed in at 115 kg in his last bout against Joyce, more than 15kg heavier than the cruiserweight limit.
Massey is expected to close that gap, but will still be far lighter, and Parker intends to take advantage of that advantage.
"I'm going to smash him," said Parker. "He's got big balls, I'll give him that, but there are divisions in boxing for a reason.
"I'm going to be the bigger man. I'm going to fight like the bigger man, back him up and push him back.
"I'm going to make him think about if he really wants to be in the heavyweight division."
Watch Parker v Massey live on free-to-air on Three and ThreeNow, or join Newshub for live updates from 7am on Sunday
