Whyte vs Parker: Dillian Whyte and Joseph Parker reveal how they reacted to Anthony Joshua defeat

Dillian Whyte and Joseph Parker have reflected on how a defeat to Anthony Joshua has influenced their careers ahead of their must-win fight.

The heavyweight rivals will share the ring on Saturday night at The O2, live on Sky Sports Box Office, with the winner staking a claim for a potential rematch with Joshua.

Both men’s sole defeat was at the hands of AJ, with Whyte suffering a seven-round stoppage loss in December 2015, while Parker slipped to a unanimous decision loss in March.

But what mental and physical impact did AJ have on each fighter?

What would you do differently if you fought AJ again?

Parker: I won’t take my time. We know that Joshua is a tough guy and he’s got a lot of big knockout power, so the plan in the fight was to box smartly, move well, hit and don’t get hit. But if I could change things, I would do a lot more brawling.

I didn’t expect him to box as well he did, but it just shows that he was able to adjust and change from one style to another.

Any regrets about that night?

Parker: The whole camp I did everything right. I did everything I could to be in the best shape, and to be the most prepared I can be, so when I lost, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, because I did everything right leading up to the fight. I accepted it a lot easier.

Whyte: At the time, I had a new trainer who was trying to teach me something new. Never had enough time, wasn’t training right, wasn’t living right. I had problems at the end of the fight.

I wasn’t mature enough as well, mentally. Mentally I was thinking, fight, fight, destroy, destroy, but now I approach it differently. I just know what to do now.

How do you think each other was feeling after that loss?

Whyte: He will be saying to himself, I should have gone after it more. It’s too late then. I don’t know what happened [to him].

Parker: I watched that fight. They threw a lot more punches and landed a lot more on each other. A bit more reckless, whereas that one [his fight] was more scientific. I think he tried his best and I think he went for it, so no regrets.

Why do you think Joshua would fight you again?

Whyte: He knows that when me and him get in the ring, it’s a proper fight. If he don’t want to fight me, I’ll be fighting him.

Would a rematch with Joshua be different?

Parker: I’m always confident, so I’ll beat him.

After the 12th round my fitness was still good to go another, so that means I didn’t leave it all in the ring, which is my downfall, my mistake and my regret, but I know that next time I fight him, I’m going to go until I cannot go anymore.

Outside of the ring, you should be respectful. I think I was too respectful in the fight.

Whyte: Joshua gets destroyed this time, properly. I get him going this time again, I will finish. One hundred per cent, I will finish this time.

What do you still want to achieve in the sport?

Parker: Of course I want to get back. I want to be champion of the world again, or unified champion if I get the opportunity to fight the winner of those two [Joshua-Wilder], but when they congratulate you and you haven’t won, it doesn’t feel…you’re just like, ah, okay, thanks. It’s a different feeling to if you actually won.

Whyte: The story doesn’t end there, because we’ll fight probably another two times after that. He’s the kind of guy that I’ll fight him 10 times and beat him 10 times. I’ll fight him an 11th time.

Watch Dillian Whyte vs Joseph Parker with Katie Taylor, Dereck Chisora, Joshua Buatsi, Conor Benn and more the undercard, live on Sky Sports Box Office, from The O2, Saturday, July 28.

You can book via your Sky remote, via sky.com/boxofficeonline here and even if you aren’t a Sky subscriber you can book and watch it via skysports.com/boxofficelive.

(c) Sky News 2018: Whyte vs Parker: Dillian Whyte and Joseph Parker reveal how they reacted to Anthony Joshua defeat