{"id":424693,"date":"2026-01-22T00:19:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T00:19:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/424693\/"},"modified":"2026-01-22T00:19:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T00:19:07","slug":"george-groves-praises-american-ko-artist-who-trainer-brands-a-clean-living-mike-tyson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/424693\/","title":{"rendered":"George Groves praises American KO artist who trainer brands \u2018a clean-living Mike Tyson\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Americans have struggled in the cruiserweight division as of late, with 2011 being the last time they held a belt at 200lbs. However, there is now a new contender in the division, who has impressed the likes of George Groves<\/a> and Hall of Fame trainer Jesse Reid.<\/p>\n

After a tough upbringing in Chicago<\/a>, Craig Parker has emerged from what he describes as a \u2018poverty-stricken neighbourhood\u2019 as both a beacon of hope and, in his eyes, a champion-in-waiting, eager to not only conquer the world but to do so as a man of the people.<\/p>\n

As is the case with many stars of the sport, Parker\u2019s childhood was far from pleasant. Rather than hide from that fact, the 35-year-old embraces it and wears it on his sleeve, determined to prove that anybody, from any area, can accomplish what they desire with the correct mentality.<\/p>\n

In an exclusive interview with Boxing News, the 35 year-old explained how he fell in love with boxing and how he utilised the ring as an \u2018escape\u2019 from the reality of his hardships.<\/p>\n

\u201c[When I found the gym], that is the first time that I ever felt that I could accomplish something in my life, I faced my fears. As a kid growing up, I used to get bullied and picked on and I grew up in an abusive household, I guess that God wanted me to face my fear, stand up for myself and realise my dream.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I learnt how to fight, I never let nobody take advantage of me. The ring was an escape for me, I could have done everything wrong in the neighbourhood that I grew up in, everything was going on, but I stayed focus, stayed disciplined, and boxing put a hook on me that I just couldn\u2019t let go of.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very important to remember where you came from because that is what created you and as your journey progresses you learn how to be a good man. That\u2019s just what I want to be at the end of the day, a good boxer, but a good man, as well. You want to be the people\u2019s champ and give back to the kids and the people who are less fortunate.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a professional, Parker halted his first 20 opponents without fighting beyond the second round, earning a spot as the #14 ranked contender with the WBA.<\/p>\n

However, he was then demoted from that position to accommodate YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, a decision which he branded \u2018disgusting\u2019.<\/a><\/p>\n

The American puncher was then expected to make his UK debut in Cannock back in September, on a show promoted by Scott Murray, who has close ties to Parker\u2019s legendary trainer Jesse Reid, but the fight was cancelled.<\/p>\n

Rather than sit idly, Parker opted to return to action immediately, fighting stateside against a 7-7-2 Dionardo Minor in Nashville. Minor went the full 10 rounds, losing a unanimous decision but putting a stop to that impressive knockout streak.<\/p>\n

Reflecting on that performance, Parker sees the scrap as reassurance that he possesses the necessary gas tank for success.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a little bit leery about each round because I\u2019d never been the distance but as I went, I just felt more and more comfortable. When you are in the gyms, you spar this many rounds, you jump rope this many rounds, you hit the bag this many rounds, the only thing that you fear is the oxygen.<\/p>\n

\u201cNone of that stuff played a part in the fight and if it went 12, 15 or 30 rounds, I think that I prepared good enough for each round and I was so proud of myself to go that many rounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cI proved that I can go as many rounds as they put in front of me, but I would like to get \u2018em all out in the first if that is possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, Parker has flown to the United Kingdom to visit gyms, spar and consider accepting another fight on British soil, where the cruiserweight division is packed with title hopefuls.<\/p>\n

Asked about potential British opponents, Parker said he was content with being on the end of call outs rather than making them himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just getting acclimated and everything but the time [in the United Kingdom] has been great. It\u2019s been amazing, we appreciate everything, being here today in the gyms is amazing and many other gyms too. It\u2019s definitely somewhere where I would like to fight someday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have any British cruiserweights in mind but when the opportunity finds itself and the business is done, then we will handle it from there. No names or nothing like that yet but I am number one, so I guess that everybody else should be calling my name.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know who the first opponent of 2026 will be, but I\u2019m looking to do the same thing that I started off doing \u2013 taking \u2018em all out.\u201d<\/p>\n

After witnessing \u2018Pressure\u2019 Parker spar his prospect, Lucas Roehrig, former WBA super-middleweight ruler George Groves told Boxing News of the quality of the front-footed visitor, believing that he has the correct mentality and attitude to succeed in the sport.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is a really good fighter and he has got a good attitude. It\u2019s a really important thing to have a good attitude and, if you don\u2019t, it will hold you back in boxing but he\u2019s a good lad, we\u2019ve had some good work and he is good to watch.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is fun to watch. He is not the biggest cruiserweight in terms of his height, but he is stocky and he punches with spite and he looks to set his shots up well. He\u2019s great to watch and he has got an entertaining style, so you\u2019d certainly want to tune in to see him, there is nothing negative about him or his style.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, trainer Jesse Reid, who has guided 31 fighters to world titles during his near 50-year career in the corner, compared the high-octane Parker to a \u2018clean-living Mike Tyson\u2019 when stating why he believes his man will end the United States\u2019 cruiserweight drought.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would describe him as a clean-living [Mike] Tyson. A person that is really serious about the sport, he takes it seriously. He\u2019ll take any challenge; he is not afraid of it and that is no important. I have been around a lot of great fighters in my time, and I really think that Craig is going to be my 32nd world champion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Confident, charismatic and certainly not content, Parker\u2019s desire to reach the pinnacle of the sport was infectious as he signed off.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was created to be the number one cruiserweight, the cruiserweight world champion. I was created to be what I am. I know that I am the number one cruiserweight, and I know that I have got the best trainer in the world. My team and the people that I surround myself with are definitely going to make me a world champion.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Americans have struggled in the cruiserweight division as of late, with 2011 being the last time they held…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":424694,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[447],"tags":[703,49,48,82],"class_list":["post-424693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-boxing","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/424693","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=424693"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/424693\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/424694"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=424693"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=424693"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=424693"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}