Joseph Parker

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. 

Parker's handlers are in intense negotiations for the WBO world champion to have a unification fight with Joshua, the IBF and WBA belts holder.

That is looking increasingly likely for late March in Britain.

The goal for the winner of that fight will be to then take on WBC champion Wilder to try to be the undisputed world champion.

Parker has that on his mind and more as he plots what he hopes will be a defining year in his career.

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'.

Joseph Parker's promoter David Higgins looks set to head to Britain for face-to-face talks to seal a world heavyweight boxing title unification fight with Anthony Joshua that now looks to be heading for a major stadium.

"We feel like there is a deal that can be in place with Parker and his team within the next week or so," Joshua's boss Eddie Hearn Hearn told Sky Sports on Thursday.

"There's a good chance [Parker's promoter] David Higgins will fly over in the next week to try and close the deal.

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 and his backers have been on a dedicated campaign over the last week to try to flush out Joshua, accusing him of having a "glass chin" as they backed the Kiwi to add the big Brit's WBA and IBF titles to his own WBO belt.

And it seems to be working with ongoing talks really ramping up for a fight that looks increasingly likely for London in March.

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.