Lee sharpens Parker’s weapons for rematch

Andy Lee admits breathing a sigh of relief when the Kiwi heavyweight got the nod in May, and expects a much more conclusive display in the sequel. By Sam Wilson in Morecambe.

As the scorecards were being read out, Andy Lee admits he feared the worst.

His new charge, Joseph Parker, had just battled through 12 gruelling rounds with veteran British heavyweight Dereck Chisora, climbing off the canvas after being floored seven seconds into their absorbing contest at Manchester Arena in May.

At ringside, opinion was divided on who deserved to have their hand raised. Chisora appeared to dominate the early stages, with Parker taking over during the second half of a brutal encounter.

‘‘I thought we haven’t won this fight, they are not going to give it to us, not in Chisora’s hometown,’’ Lee told the Sunday Star-Times from Tyson Fury’s gym in the north of England where he is training the former WBO champion and his compatriot David Nyika.

‘‘I thought, ‘we’re not going to get this decision, Joe’.’’

Lee was a relieved man when Parker was given the nod via a controversial split decision (though he insists he won ‘‘clearly’’ by two or three rounds) but is adamant the Kiwi will win their sequel at the same venue on December 19 more convincingly.

‘‘I still think it’s going to be a very hard fight. Chisora is going to be a handful for anybody, just because of his physicality and his style,’’ Lee, a former WBO middleweight champion, said. ‘‘[But] if Joe is locked in and focused from the start, picks the punches he has to throw, is economical with his punches, and doesn’t spend time on the ropes and take all those body shots, then he should be fine.’’

One reason for Lee’s confidence is that he and Parker will have had the benefit of a full eight-week training camp. The pair only had a short time together before the first bout following Parker’s surprise split from longtime trainer Kevin Barry.

The Irishman said Parker is in a ‘‘much better place’’ six months on and he is already seeing the improvements in the gym.

‘‘At this stage during the last camp we’d just basically shaken hands. We’d just met, so we hadn’t done anything.

‘‘So we have the benefits of the previous fight, the previous camp and all the time in between where we’ve constantly been in touch.’’

While many felt Parker had dodged a bullet against the awkward Chisora and should move on to bigger and better things, Lee was among the few to immediately call for a rematch.

He wanted Parker to show the world what he had seen for himself in the gym.

‘‘Joe can do a lot better and a rematch should be the perfect indication of his improvement. And Chisora deserves it. The fight was close,’’ Lee admitted.

‘‘He was probably a bit too passive in the first fight, but when you get knocked down in the first seven seconds it’s hard to be aggressive as you’re still trying to win the rounds, but also recover from the knockdown.’’

Lee has been pushing Parker to the limit in the first three weeks of training camp in a bid to iron out those lapses in concentration that have crept in.

‘‘Joe came out and got caught cold, like a rabbit in the headlights,’’ Lee said of that ‘‘silly’’ first-round knockdown.

‘‘But you just have to accept it, and deal with it. I told him, ‘you got caught high on the head, you had your left hand down, get your hand up especially when you’ve got your back on the ropes. Don’t be waiting on the ropes. Stay side on.’

‘‘But you can only communicate so much with a fighter, they’re the ones who have do it, you know. It’s the part of coaching that I hate but you just have to give it up to the fighter. It’s them in the ring.’’

Lee doesn’t expect the 37-yearold Chisora to make any major adjustments at this stage of his long career, though the return of Dave Coldwell to his corner is a concern after the Londoner disposed of American Buddy McGirt’s services.

‘‘Dave Coldwell is a great coach, a very good coach. I can see why they got back together. Dave was coach for two or three of my fights, cutman and cornerman. So I know him well.’’

However, he laughed off Chisora’s claims that Parker doesn’t pack a punch, as well as his demands for American judges after being ‘‘robbed’’ last time.

‘‘Joe hurt him, especially late in the fight a few times,’’ Lee said. ‘‘We’ll see. I know Joe’s power punching on the pads.

‘‘He’s messing up by doing that [talking about the referee

‘‘Joe hurt him [Chisora], especially late in the fight. We’ll see. I know Joe’s power punching on the pads.’’ UK trainer Andy Lee

and judges]. He’s playing the game. He got a moral victory last time round. Joe knows if any round is close they are going to give it to Chisora, so we can’t bank on that. Joe has to work hard to win this fight, as anything close will go the other way.’’

So what is the key to Parker winning in more conclusive fashion?

‘‘Hard punches, smart moves, not running away. And being comfortable under that pressure,’’ Lee said.

If Parker comes through unscathed, Lee would love to see him fight for a world title next, but admitted that was unlikely ‘‘because the titles are tied up’’. In the meantime, he wants the 29-year-old to keep learning.

‘‘There are some entertaining and good fights for Joe where he could learn. The Australian Demsey McKean, and Chinese fighter Zhang Zhilei. ‘‘I think him and Demsey McKean in Australia is a big fight, it’s a big seller.’’