- Joseph Parker eats raw fish from a bucket
- Boxer says it is a great source of protein
- Some fight fans discouraged by graphic video
New Zealand boxing icon Joseph Parker shocked his fans by posting a stomach-churning video of him eating a freshly caught fish, tearing it apart with his teeth.
Parker, 32, has turned his career around in recent years by beating elite opponents like Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang.
The former champion attributes part of his resurgence to his strict training and diet, but fight fans were unprepared for a clip he recently posted on social media.
In the footage, Parker can be seen sitting on a dock with a bloody bucket in front of him as he uses his teeth to tear apart a freshly caught fish.
The former heavyweight champion says raw fish is one of his favorite foods and credits his strict diet with a big role in his recent good form.
Parker tears the animal apart with his mouth before dipping it into the bucket and then eating some.
“This guy is not feeling well,” one fan commented.
“He’ll get sick later,” another responded.
“No thanks,” a third posted.
Parker, who is of Polynesian descent, later explained that eating raw fish is a healthy habit and that tearing a fish apart with your teeth is like “we did it in the past.”
“I do it every day,” he said during an interview with former Australian-Samoan world champion Jai Opetaia.
‘Protein. If you want proper protein… fresh!’
A traditional Samoan dish called Oka involves the use of raw fish, but Opetaia was unsure of Parker’s preparation method.
Parker, pictured tearing up the freshly caught animal with his teeth, says he devours raw fish daily because it is a great source of protein.
Parker (pictured with fellow heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury) is currently in the best shape of his life, winning his last six fights.
“His name is Oka,” Opetaia said. ‘It is prepared raw fish.
“I don’t know anything about taking fish out of the sea.”
Since partnering with nutritionist George Lockhart, Parker has adopted a strict diet of fruits, vegetables and lean meat.
Parker’s favorite food is raw fish and Lockhart has been surprised at how much kiwi he can consume.
“Even though Sunday is a day off, we load up for Monday because Monday is a heavy day,” Lockhart said during one of Parker’s training camps in Ireland.
‘We go to a sushi place (in Dublin) and he’ll eat like 40 pieces of sushi. There are pictures of them taking out these huge boats!
‘Every time we go to that place, people say, ‘This is for four people,’ and Joe takes it like it’s nothing!’