LONDON -- Joseph Parker has promised to be better than his last fight when he faces Anthony Joshua on March 31.
Parker (24-0, 18 KOs), 26, failed to impress in a majority points win over England's Hughie Fury at the Manchester Arena on Sept. 23, but insists he will improve for his second successive fight in the UK.
The New Zealander, who has made two defences of the WBO belt, will face Joshua at Cardiff's Principality Stadium when three world heavyweight titles will be on the line.
"I'm looking forward to leaving [the UK] for a hard training camp," said Parker at a press conference on Tuesday. "I'm looking forward to putting on a good performance. I have a big challenge in front of me.
"I have watched Joshua for a long time. I know his strengths, he knows mine, I know his weaknesses and he thinks he knows mine. Hopefully I will catch him on the chin and knock him out.
"I met Joshua once in Azerbaijan [at the amateur World Championships in 2011] when we were amateurs and I've been studying him ever since then. I feel he's a good fighter and has a lot of support. I think it's my destiny to be here and it's my time to put up a great challenge and I truly feel I will win.
"I have better speed and movement. I wasn't able to display it in my last fight [against Fury]. We're a team and I back my promoter in what he has been saying."
It will be the first fight that unifies three world heavyweight title belts since Klitschko beat England's David Haye in 2011.
The only recognized world title not on the line in the Welsh capital will be the WBC belt, held by American Deontay Wilder (39-0, 38 KOs), 32, who makes a sixth title defense against Cuba's Florida-based Luis "King Kong" Ortiz (28-0, 24 KOs), 38, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on March 3.
And Parker's promoter David Higgins insists his comments questioning Joshua's punch resistance helped make the fight, the first world heavyweight title unification fight on British soil.
"Without the noise we made we wouldn't have had fair terms," said Higgins. "I think there are some mental weaknesses on display.
"We're not saying he has a glass jaw, but we're going to find out. His chin is not as good as Joseph Parker. This is a 50-50 fight.
"There has been talk in the build up. I have an immense amount of respect for Anthony Joshua to turn his life around and win an Olympic medal after stepping into a gym late.
"In most countries in the world it's customary to analyse strengths and weaknesses of athletes. Something that socked us is that it's not customary to do that here [England].
"Joshua has allegedly been dropped a few times and it shocked a few people. It made Joseph a bigger name here and built this fight up. Joseph has never been dropped since he started on the pads aged three.
"A lot of English see it as a one horse race and they have written Joseph off."