Joseph Parker

Introduced to the stage by a combined Samoan and Maori cultural performance, Parker tipped the scales at 107.3kg in front of a crowd of around 4000 fight fans.

The weight represented a loss of nearly 5kg from his last title defence against Englishman Hughie Fury in September.

Joshua's weight had been a significant talking point in the build-up and, as expected, he came in much lighter than he had been for his most recent fight.

In every possible way, the 26-year-old boxer from the south Auckland suburb of Mangere is ready to dance and defy the odds in a world heavyweight title unification bout with British superstar Anthony Joshua.

As fit and fast as ever, mentally locked in and, perhaps most importantly, in a composed, confident and relaxed state of mind.

In the words of Parker himself, no stone has been left unturned in pursuit of what bookmakers are suggesting would be a huge upset victory against a powerful and physically imposing opponent.

WBA and IBF world heavyweight champion Joshua meets WBO title-holder Parker at Cardiff's Principality Stadium.

It will be Briton Joshua's fourth stadium bout but, with 80,000 fans expected, represents a new level of interest for New Zealand's Parker.

"It took me a few times to get used to it," Joshua told BBC Radio 5 live.

"It's an experience he hasn't faced yet. It is daunting, it is overwhelming.

Unbeaten champions Joshua and Parker will unify their WBA, IBF, IBO and WBO belts on April 1 (NZ time) at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

Joshua says one defeat should not define a fighter, but every unbeaten boxer still goes into the ring with the fear of losing.

Speaking to Sky Sports UK eight days out from the highly anticipated fight, Joshua said he is focused on the bout and is open to what a potential loss could mean for his career.

There's a certain symmetry to the fact the biggest opportunity of Mose Auimatagi Junior's career will come when he fights on the undercard of Joseph Parker's title unification bout against British superstar Anthony Joshua in Cardiff on Easter Sunday.

Now 22 and the New Zealand champion in the middleweight division, Auimatagi Junior was just 14 when he walked in the door at the Papatoetoe Boxing Club.

By then Parker was a Youth Olympic Games silver medallist, and all the attention he was getting served as motivation for a younger boy from the same neck of the woods.

Trainer Kevin Barry says the WBO Heavyweight Boxing champion has been nursing pain and restriction in both his elbows for more than two years.

In November 2017, the team elected to have one of New Zealand's best orthopaedic surgeons Craig Ball, to correct the injuries.

The announcement was made on the eve of Parker's unification bout with Anthony Joshua in Cardiff.

"We're pretty transparent, we've got nothing to hide, especially given it was so damn successful," Parker's promoter David Higgins said.

English superstar Joshua is a healthy favourite to prevail when he meets New Zealand fighter Parker in their world heavyweight title unification bout in Cardiff on Easter Sunday (NZ time).

Many believe the WBA and IBF champion will be too powerful for the WBO belt holder from South Auckland, referencing the fact all 20 wins on Joshua's perfect professional record have come via knockout.

Quartarone has refereed a world heavyweight title fight before, being in charge of Alexander Povetkin's WBA title victory over Cedric Boswell in 2011.

"We're very happy with the officials that have been appointed," Barry told Sky Sports.

"We've got three judges - one from New Zealand, one from the UK, one from the United States.

"We've got an Italian referee. We signed off on those officials [at the beginning of March]. We're very happy with what the various sanctioning bodies have appointed for us."

Already a father to 16-month-old daughter Elizabeth, Parker has revealed he and partner Laine are expecting a second child.

With his much-anticipated clash against British superstar Joshua in Cardiff a little more than two weeks away, the WBO champion from south Auckland believed the impending arrival is just another reminder of what he is fighting for.

The advert for the pay-per-view of his title unification bout with Briton Anthony Joshua blends pictures of both fighters with classic New Zealand landscapes and a Maori chief, while using digital imaging to transpose Tā moko to Parker's face.

"Devastating forces shake the earth beneath our feet," says the narrator in a dramatic monologue.

"Frightening. No chance of retreat. Two beasts so ferocious they cannot be caged.

"Worlds apart, choose a side. Prepare yourself for forces to collide."