Boxing: Floyd Masson ready to take on John Parker in ‘statement' fight
Masson said he didn't know much about Parker's fighting style as a pro, however, he remembered him as an amateur.
'I remember [Parker] was brawling a lot back then, and it was a bit of a brawl-type fight back in the amateurs.'
Masson doesn't usually watch a lot of his opponents' fights, saying he left it to his coaching team who came up with a game plan for the fight.
If he did join his team, they would have a look at the fighter and the style, size and 'how he likes to fight'.
'Then we kind of work around that.'
However, Masson said during 'fight camp' his team would focus more on his skills rather than on what the opponent does.
Masson began his career as an amateur boxer in New Zealand before moving to Western Australia for his boxing career in hope to score more lucrative fights.
Former Waikato boxer Floyd Masson will take on John Parker in Australia.
When many boxers struggled during the Covid-18 pandemic, Australian promoter Angelo Di Carlo took on Masson.
Di Carlo initially brought him out to spar with world title contender Mark Flanagan, but now, Masson lives in Queensland and works with Di Carlo boxing promoter Ace Boxing Group.
During his time as world champion, Masson trained in Las Vegas, but decided to move back to this side of the world as his family was slowly growing.
However, with one door closing, another door opened, and he quickly found a new coach, Blair Studley.
Studley, owner of Nitro Boxing Fitness Centre in Chermside, trained many excellent boxers, including former Australian Super Welterweight champion Dan Hill, Australian Heavyweight champion Stevan Ivić, Jeremiah Tupai and Issac Hardman.
Studley himself has 30 years of experience in boxing and martial arts.
He previously held the Queensland Light Heavyweight Boxing and Queensland Light Heavyweight Kickboxing titles, and he has a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a black belt in Karate.
Masson highly praised his coach, saying he wished he had met Studley earlier in his boxing career.
'He works what's best for his boxers and not what is best for the trainer.'
The Floyd Masson vs John Parker fight for the IBF Pan Pacific Cruiserweight title will take place on July 30 at Brisbane Powerhouse, New Farm, Queensland, Australia.
Benjamin Watt is a retired boxing judge and New Zealand boxing writer with a decade of experience. Watt has also been BoxRec's New Zealand record-keeper since 2014.
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