Former trainer Kevin Barry predicts big things for his former charge, after Kiwi-Samoan heavyweight Joseph Parker jumpstarted his boxing career with a shock victory over former world champion Deontay Wilder on the 'Day of Reckoning' card at Riyadh.
The underdog completely dominated his rival - regarded as one of the biggest punchers the division has every known - by staying out of harm's way and picking his moments to attack, taking every one of the 12 rounds in a unanimous points decision.
On the brink of extinction after his first knockout defeat to Brit Joe Joyce in October 2022, the former WBO world champion is now back on the title radar, with a range of options seemingly open to him.
"Absolutely tremendous performance by Joe against a very dangerous opponent," Barry told Newshub from his Las Vegas home. 'All credit to him.
"He looked great, he looked strong and confident, and you could see his confidence growing as the fight went on. The gameplan was terrific and he executed it very, very well, especially the first 5-6 rounds, when he just shut Wilder completely out of the fight.
"The range Joe was at was perfect. Against a dangerous puncher like that, you either have to be all the way in or all the way out, and we saw Joe nullify the offence of Wilder in those early rounds that he was banking.
"As the fight went on, a lot of people were thinking, 'Wilder's got this punch, he's got this punch', but you could see he just didn't have the ability to fire that punch."
A former Olympic bronze medallist, Barry has shaped the careers of two Kiwi boxing legends, bringing David Tua to a heavyweight title fight against Brit Lennox Lewis in 2000, before taking Parker to his championship against Andy Ruiz in 2016.
Barry and Parker parted company in 2021, with the fighter falling under the influence of Andy Lee and reigning WBC champion Tyson Fury, who won his belt and retained it in a trilogy series against Wilder in 2018-21.
Barry praises Parker's new support team for his latest success.
"[Lee] did a great job with him and I think a lot of credit also goes to Tyson Fury, a guy who shared the ring three times with [Wilder]," he said. "His strategising with Joe and Andy has played a very big part in this.
"He spent 36 rounds with him and knows him better than anyone else. You could definitely see Joe got this Wilder at the right time.
"The trilogy with Tyson Fury has really taken a lot out of Deontay Wilder and it just goes to show Father Time is undefeated.
"Everyone was watching the videos on Instagram and Facebook, and watching the work [trainer] Malik Scott was doing with him. It all looked good on video, but when he got out there with Joe, there was one guy with a gameplan and another who grew old before our eyes."
The result should opens up options for Parker.
Before his victory, matchmakers were already scheduling a long-awaited showdown between Wilder and Anthony Joshua - the man who took Parker's title away in 2018. Wilder's future is now uncertain, but Barry isn't sure Joshua will want to face Parker again, after such a convincing win the first time.
Fury will face Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk for the four main belts in March, with each title carrying mandatory challengers. Chinese Zhilei Zhang looms as the prime WBO threat, while Crotian Filip Hergovic has first dibs at the IBF crown.
Usyk has already dispatched WBA challenger Daniel Dubois, while the Wilder-Joshua WBC fight-off now looks unlikely.
If Fury or Usyk vacate any of those divisions, the mandatory challengers inherit the championships and Parker may move up the respective pecking orders.
"I know Joseph Parker was ranked fairly high in the WBC, so maybe he will get a shot as the mandatory," said Barry.
"Whatever happens, he's in a very, very strong position. This Christmas and New Years will be very, very exciting, and a lot of fun for him, because 2024 looks very promising."
