Joseph Parker will enter the fight tonight as a different beast: heavier, thinner, faster and more powerful.
Under the meticulous guide of the George Lockhart strength and conditioning coach, each Training and diet element of Parker has been adjusted to turn it into an unstoppable force.
Balance at 121 kg (19 stones) During our visit to the camp, Parker managed to pack nine kilos of muscle without sacrificing speed. In fact, he is moving better than ever at 33.
This is because your training is not just about lifting weights or running miles; It is a master class in biomechanics, ensuring each ounce of energy that generates transfers directly in its blows.
So what is the secret of your success? From Sodium Bicarbonate Tomas to Honey table – Sport de Mail has the scoop on how Parker, who is married and has five children, has prepared for his fight, now with Martin Bakole after Daniel Dubois retired to through a disease.
From its strength and conditioning, to its diet, to its work in the pads with Andy Lee, this is how a heavyweight boxer reaches the best conditions.
Joseph Parker welcomed Mail Sport to the camp before his fight, due to Daniel Dubois but now with Martin Bakole
Parker, from New Zealand, is married to Laine and have five children together
Parker takes photos of sodium bicarbonate and eats tablespoons of honey as part of its key nutrition
Strength and conditioning
A key pillar of the Parker camp has been the central stability: the basis of its power, movement and resistance. Every morning he begins with a dynamic mobility work, focusing on opening his hips and shoulders to maximize his range of movement and fluidity in the ring.
Its strength sessions are built with a clear purpose: each muscle group is activated to improve their ring performance. Lockhart's philosophy is simple but effective: pushing is not just the strength of the arm, it is a complete body movement that begins from scratch.
To reinforce this principle, Parker began its session with curls of ischiotibials of Switzerland and lateral planks with dumbbells, exercises designed to strengthen stability and mobility, key elements for generating explosive energy while maintaining balance under pressure.
Then came a brutal central circuit, which includes tables with arm and opposite leg elevators, which forced Parker to resist rotation, critical forces to throw quick and precise blows without sacrificing control.
Parker challenged Mail Sport to join his main circuit at the end of the training
Parker and his team knew exactly when to laugh and when was the time to work
From there, he moved to the cable machine, working on trunk rotations and drilling replication exercises. Lockhart pierced the importance of using his hips, instead of only his arms, to generate power, ensuring that each blow carries maximum force from scratch.
This emphasis on connectivity, from the foot to the fist, is the spine of Parker's training. Cable machine drills imitate real struggle movements, embeding muscle memory so that your body instinctively and efficiently shoots when it matters most.
One of the most intriguing refinements for Parker's technique has been a subtle but powerful change in the mentality: hitting is not just to push, it's about throwing. When throwing hooks and body shots, it has been trained to concentrate on backward and drive forward, creating an effect similar to a whip that adds a devastating complement to each blow.
“It's like starting a grass cutter,” says Lockhart. “You can only push so strong, but the pull muscles are much larger.”
They are small adjustments like these, backed by science and relentlessly perforated, which are sharpening Parker in the most dangerous version of himself so far.
Diet and nutrition
While Parker's physical preparation has been first level, his diet has been marked. Eat three main meals per day, two snacks and a bowl of final Greek yogurt at night to help muscle recovery.
Carbohydrates are strategically charged: combines the day before heavy sessions, ensuring that your body has everything you need for maximum performance. Breakfast is a simple but effective mixture of pressure cooked (for potassium), eggs and white pudding, a lean source of proteins and carbohydrates.
Your lunch varies according to your training production: if the combat has been intense, it will have a pork loin with peppers; If not, Slebelta Turkey Mince with celery and carrots. The dinners follow the same methodical approach, making sure that their energy levels remain stable as it leans in the week of the fight.
One of the most unexpected weapons in Parker's Arsenal is sodium bicarbonate. It is your least favorite part of the camp, but it works. Sodium bicarbonate acts as a muscular shock absorber, delaying fatigue and allows you to keep the work of high output for longer. The capture? It knows horrible.
While Parker's physical preparation has been first level, his diet has been marked. Eat three main meals per day, two snacks and a bowl of final Greek yogurt to help muscle recovery
Lockhart calculates the dose carefully (two milligrams per kilogram of body weight), but Parker simply squeezes his teeth and low, knowing that the impulse of resistance is worth suffering.
Beyond macros and food time, every detail is monitored. Lockhart observes Parker as a hawk, tracking his heart rate, sleep and recovery levels to make sure there is nothing random.
When Parker began to feel a bit away in training, Lockhart identified the problem: high magnesium but low levels of calcium. Magnesium helps muscles relax, while calcium is necessary for contraction.
The imbalance meant that Parker was not receiving that click on his shots. A quick adjustment in his shakes, increasing his calcium intake, and suddenly flicetant in all cylinders.
Even something as simple as cooking has been optimized. Lockhart swears next to the air fryer: keeps thin meals and at the same time allows a very necessary crunch. Parker is a big fan of crispy potatoes, and the air fryer delivery without the need for additional oils.
Each small decision, because of the way their meals are prepared until the exact moment of their supplements, is designed to make its maximum point reach at the perfect time.
Boxing training
Parker boxing sessions under Andy Lee are a master class in refinement. Each movement is broken down, analyzes and perfects, ensuring that it enters the night of fighting with the most acute tools possible.
Upon entering the gym, Lee's trip remembers through sport are everywhere. The posters of their largest fights hang on the walls, with people like Katie Taylor fighting on the billboard.
Parker knows the caliber of the combatants who have been in Lee's orbit. Now, under the attentive eye of the Irishman, it is the time of Parker to promote his own legacy.
Each session begins with activation drills, a crucial step in its preparation. Parker moves through a series of dynamic heating, focusing on opening his hips and shoulders. Given its boxing style, one that is based on the movement of fluids and explosive power, this mobility work is essential. The shoulders are surrounded, balances the hips and ensures that each joint is prepared before entering the ring.
Parker boxing sessions under Andy Lee (in the photo on the left) are a master class in refinement
Each movement decomposes, analyzes and perfected, ensuring that it enters the night of fighting with the most acute tools possible
Then comes the shadow boxing. Lee indicates it forward, and Parker Trepa on the strings, taking its place in the blue corner. He pauses, closing his eyes, visualizing his opponent in front of him. He breathes, exhales deeply, and in his mind, the bell sounds.
The first movements are clear and deliberate. He moves with intention, stepping, pivot, pretending, seeing a rival in front of him, reacting to his imaginary attacks. Lee watches closely, nodding before calling the settings.
Parker restores and works his lateral movement, spinning, remaining light on his feet while keeping his balance. Lee observes silently, then intervenes to correct it once again.
From there, they make the transition to the pads. Lee has precision gloves, demanding the best work of Parker. Each blow has a purpose: there is no wasted movement, nor an unnecessary effort. They pierce combinations, fine adjustment counters and reinforce the importance of time.
After each round, Lee stops it.
'Again. But this time, turn through the shot more.
Parker nods, restarts and throws the blow again: more slider, more intentional. Then they go again, this time at full speed.
This process continues, round after round. Repetition generates domain.
Finally, Parker moves to the heavy bag, his body now fatigued. This is where the real work begins. Lee tells him that he pushes through exhaustion, hitting the bag with power shots, maintaining the form even when his arms burn and his breathing is stirred.
“Deep cava,” says Lee. “This is where the fights win.”
As the night of struggle approaches, Parker will mark a final preparation layer. The day before entering the ring, it will pass exactly the same movements
Night before the fight
As the night of struggle approaches, Parker will mark a final preparation layer. The day before entering the ring, it will go through the same exact movements that the entire camp has been drilling, ensuring that your body is fully prepared. There will be no surprises, only muscle memory, sharpness and trust.
Even its caffeine consumption is measured the day before the fight; He loves his coffee in the morning, but nothing too late to avoid messing with his dream.
This is a heavier, more clear and more calculated parker, one that has spent months perfecting every detail.
With each blow, every movement and every calorie consumed, the destruction plan has been presented. Now, everything left is the execution.