Anthony Joshua

The highly-anticipated bout will see Joshua and Parker put their IBF, WBA Super, IBO and WBO belts and unbeaten records on the line, as both fighters aim to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999.

Many pundits out of the UK believe Joshua's size and skill will prove too much for Parker at the Principality Stadium on April 1 (NZ time), but Wilder has a different perspective.

Speaking to Andrew Gourdie and Jim Kayes on RadioLIVE's Sunday Sport, Wilder issued a warning not to be deceived by the Briton's chiselled physique.

Tickets went on general sale for the fight at Cardiff's Principality Stadium at midnight on Tuesday (NZT) and within five hours there were only a limited number of $571 and $1142 tickets remaining.

Promoter Eddie Hearn revealed on his Twitter account that the three cheapest categories had sold out in just over an hour after they had gone on sale.

The March 31 fight is sure to sell out with the stadium holding 78,000 under its retractable roof.

The location of the highly-anticipated unification bout remains one of the key points to completing negotiations for the heavyweight division's super fight.

Joshua confirmed the fight deal was 95 per cent over the line for a clash early this year.

Parker's promoter David Higgins is having the contract examined by legal experts and is likely to fly to London late this week to sign it off.

Parker could join him in the UK for a press conference the following week.

WBO champion Parker is desperate to fight WBA and IBF champion Joshua and the big Brit believes a March or April bout in the UK is "realistic".

It seems Parker's unorthodox methods of prompting Joshua into taking the fight are hitting a nerve.

Team Parker have released videos to question Joshua's "glass chin" and repeatedly accused him of greed as the Kiwis haggle for a 35 per cent cut of the net profit from what would be a mega-fight.

Joshua has tried to steer clear of the trash talk though he admits there is a place for the "gutter" element of boxing.

WBO champion Parker is in negotiations with IBF and WBA champion Anthony Joshua for a blockbuster bout in Britain in late March.

Talks have been long and difficult but Parker says they are now "very close" to making the fight a reality.

Parker is already working on a game plan and laying the foundations with his current fitness camp in Auckland where weight loss is a key as he tries to regain the speed that set him apart. 

Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn finally seems willing to concede some terms to Team Parker to get the fight done, confirming Cardiff's 78,000 seater Principality Stadium is the most likely venue for March.

"We're close," Hearn told Sky Sports UK. "We're at a stage now where we're having to compromise on certain points that we don't really want to, but ultimately we're going to have to because if you want to fight Anthony Joshua, these guys - they want to be overpaid.

WBA and IBF heavyweight champion Joshua is poised for a blockbuster 2018, with bouts against WBO title-holder Parker, WBC king Deontay Wilder and the unbeaten Tyson Fury all potentially in the offing.

Parker looks set to be Joshua's next opponent in a unification clash, though negotiations have not gone entirely smoothly, with the Briton's camp angered by a media conference staged by the 25-year-old and his team.

Promoter David Higgins, Parker and his trainer Kevin Barry explained why he would defeat the owner of the WBA and IBF straps, who they dubbed 'Glass Jaw Joshua'.

WBO champion Parker is eager to fight IBF and WBA champion Joshua next, looking to set up a bout in the UK in March.

Parker kept up his relentless pressure on the big Brit with another tweet highlighting what he sees as a susceptibility in Joshua's chin.

"Doesn't a 65-35 per cent between two unbeaten champions sound fair? Nearly double our share. Don't worry, a rematch clause is there in case you're worried about your chin," Parker taunted in his latest social media post.

Parker's promotional company Duco Events held a news conference on Tuesday in Auckland, where they played a compilation of Joshua being sent to the canvas.

Duco founder and director David Higgins demanded Parker should have no less than a 35 per cent split of the purse from a fight with Joshua, with March having been mentioned as a potential date for a meeting between the two.

Higgins, WBO champion Parker and his trainer Kevin Barry offered explanations why he would defeat WBA and IBF champion Joshua, who they dubbed 'Glass Jaw Joshua'.

Eddie Hearn won't give Joseph Parker his desired 35 per cent of a fight purse, but says a unification bout deal with Anthony Joshua is close.

Parker's promoter David Higgins insisted that a 35 per cent cut was their final offer to Joshua's boss Hearn as they called out the IBF and WBA champion, accusing him of having a "glass chin".

While Hearn appeared bemused by the promotional video that featured Joshua being knocked to the canvas by a series of opponents, it seems to have helped the cause of gaining his attention and that of the UK boxing market.