Joseph Parker has shared the ring with several physically imposing fighters, but none of them matched the brawn of Derek Chisora.
Parker went to war with Chisora twice in 2021 at the Manchester Arena.
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Parker beat Chisora narrowly in their first fight via split decisionCredit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom
In their first meeting, the Kiwi was knocked down in the opening 10 seconds before rallying in the mid to late rounds to edge the contest via split decision.
The fight was so close, competitive and enthralling that a rematch was booked seven months later.
This time, Parker dominated proceedings, badly hurting Chisora on multiple occasions and knocking him down in the fourth, seventh and eighth to earn a unanimous decision victory.
Both bouts were fought at a furious pace on the inside, where Parker was made to feel Chisora’s full force.
It is therefore no surprise that when posed with the question of who his strongest opponent was, Parker picked out the rugged Brit.
“I would say Chisora was the strongest,” Parker told talkSPORT.com.
“He is always on your chest and doesn’t leave you alone.
“All those little clubbing shots to the body and the head don’t look like much, but they all hurt and they all add up…
“He is a nightmare to deal with in the ring and outside of the ring.”
What have Joseph Parker and Derek Chisora achieved since their duels?
Parker and Chisora have gone on to have successful runs since their barnburning bouts.
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Parker was able to widen the gap in the rematch as he dropped Chisora three times for the unanimous decisionCredit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom
Chisora rebounded from a defeat to Tyson Fury in December 2022 to best Gerald Washington, Joe Joyce and Otto Wallin.
The victories have earned him a mandatory spot with the IBF, which he intends to further cement with a statement-making win on December 13 in Manchester.
Parker is also on the verge of a world title shot after scooping the WBO interim title.
A six-fight winning streak, including notable triumphs over Deontay Wilder, Zhilei Zhang and Martin Bakole, has seen him establish himself as the next challenger to Oleksandr Usyk‘s undisputed heavyweight thrown.
The WBO ordered Usyk to defend his world titles against Parker earlier this year, but the Ukrainian was granted a medical extension due to a lingering back injury.
Keen not to sit around and wait for ‘The Cat’, Parker opted to risk his position by taking a fight with Fabio Wardley on October 25.
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Parker was the WBO heavyweight champion until he was dethroned by Joshua in 2018
Explaining his decision, Parker added: “As a fighter, you can train as much as you like, but all you want to do is fight.
“If I could fight three or four times a year, that would be amazing, but fighters nowadays are fighting once or twice a year.
“I just want to stay active. I’ve got two or three good years left in me, so I want to fight as many times as I can and fight the best in the world.
“I know it is a risk, but there is always a risk in every fight that you take.
“In order to get to the top, you have to fight whoever is in front of you, and right now that is Fabio Wardley.“
Parker previously held the WBO heavyweight title between 2016 and 2018 before Anthony Joshua snatched the belt away from him in Cardiff.
Seven years later, he is one fight away from becoming a two-time world champion.