First of all, it must be pointed out how Joseph Parker has no evidence whatsoever – zero, nada, zilch. And Parker himself stops short of flat-out calling Anthony Joshua a steroid cheat. However, the reigning WBO heavyweight champ has caused quite a stir with his comments on this, always a sensitive subject, all the same.
Speaking with the Radio Sports Breakfast, the New Zealand warrior began by replying to Joshua’s recent statement that Parker is “The Pie King” (a reference to Parker’s physique).
“They call me The King of The Pies, but I call him The King of Steroids,” Parker said. “Who knows, if you are that big and that muscly, there’s something wrong. I have heard word, I have looked at him and I have seen. He has been very close with Klitschko….he has been a reigning world champion for a long time. So I don’t know – it may be true maybe not. I don’t know how he will respond – he may be angry or upset at what we have been saying. It’s part of the game. I am not accusing him of taking steroids, but I am saying it it a possibility. There are a lot of ways you can dodge drug testing.”
Joshua and his team are almost certainly going to be fuming at Parker’s suggestions. It remains to be seen if Joshua will even attempt legal action, or at least threaten it. Joshua has a hugely impressive physique, and he is, as Parker says, “muscly,” but there is nothing to suggest this has not been achieved by hard work in the gym and nothing more.
What Parker has done, though, is make the upcoming fight between and and Joshua an even bigger grudge-fight. No way does AJ shake Parker’s hand now! At the end of the day, however, talk is just that: talk. It’s who does the business in the ring that matters. That and passing any and all pre and post-fight drugs tests without issue. So far, both warriors have had no problems in this department. Let’s hope it stays that way.
