Joseph Parker Reveals Unexpected Hardest Hitter Among Joshua, Wilder, and Zhang: "It Surprised Me"

Joseph Parker, the former WBO champion, has faced some of boxing's toughest heavyweights. But he's not done yet.

Parker's career has been a rollercoaster ride. He won the WBO title in a close fight against Andy Ruiz in 2016. Later, he tried to unify titles with Anthony Joshua. Parker lost on points but became the first fighter to take Joshua the distance.

After a loss to Dillian Whyte, Parker rebuilt his career. He outpointed Derek Chisora twice. But then Joe Joyce stopped him in the 11th round.

Parker bounced back in a big way. He scored a unanimous decision win over Deontay Wilder. Then he beat Zhilei Zhang in a 12-round battle for the interim WBO world title. Parker went down twice in that fight but still got the win.

Zhang left a lasting impression on Parker. In an interview with Tony Bellew, Parker said something surprising:

"He actually told me Zhang's the hardest he's ever been hit in his life. He said Zhang hits so hard."

That's quite a statement from a guy who's faced power punchers like Joshua and Wilder.

What's next for Parker? He could get a shot at the undisputed title if he waits for the winner of Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk in December. But that might not happen since Fury is Parker's gym mate and says they'll never fight.

Tony Bellew thinks Parker deserves his "date with destiny". He suggested a fight with Daniel Dubois for the IBF title. Bellew said:

"They would throw that many punches between the two of them, it would be an absolute slugfest. And it's mad because both of them aren't giants for heavyweights."

Bellew compared a potential Parker-Dubois fight to the classic Ike Ibeabuchi vs David Tua bout.

There's also a young heavyweight named Moses Itauma who's got his eye on Parker. The heavyweight division keeps on moving, and Joseph Parker's still right in the mix.