GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING: See the stomach-churning moment boxing champ Joseph Parker tears strips of flesh off a freshly caught fish with his teeth
- Joseph Parker eats raw fish from a bucket
- Boxer says it’s a great source of protein
- Some fight fans are turned off by graphic video
New Zealand boxing icon Joseph Parker has shocked fans by posting a stomach-churning video of himself eating a freshly caught fish by tearing into it with his teeth.
The 32-year-old Parker has turned his career around in recent years by defeating elite opponents like Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang.
The former champion credits part of his resurgence to his strict training and diet, but fight fans were unprepared for a clip he recently posted to social media.
The footage shows Parker 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 has credited his strict diet with playing a role in his recent good form.
Parker tears the animal apart with his mouth before dunking it into the bucket and then eating some of it.
“This guy is not doing well,” one fan commented.
“He’ll get sick later,” replied another.
“No thanks,” a third posted.
Parker, of Polynesian descent, later explained that eating raw fish is a healthy habit and that tearing a fish apart with your teeth is the way “we used to do it.”
“I do it every day,” he said during an interview with Aussie-Samoan former world champion Jai Opetaia.
‘Egg white. If you want good proteins… fresh!’
A traditional Samoan dish called Oka uses raw fish, but Opetaia wasn’t so sure about Parker’s preparation method.
Parker – pictured tearing the freshly caught animal apart with his teeth – says he devours raw fish every day because it’s a great source of protein
Parker (pictured with fellow heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury) is currently in one of the best shapes of his life, winning his last six fights
“It’s called Oka,” said Opetaia. ‘It’s prepared raw fish.
“I don’t know anything about this whole taking the fish out of the sea thing.”
Since teaming up with nutritionist George Lockhart, Parker has followed a strict diet of fruits, vegetables and lean meats.
Parker’s favorite food is raw fish and Lockhart is surprised by how much the Kiwi can put away.
“Even though Sunday is a day off, we’re loading up for Monday because Monday is a tough day,” Lockhart said during one of Parker’s training camps in Ireland.
‘We’re going to this sushi restaurant [in Dublin] and he eats about 40 pieces of sushi. There are pictures of them bringing out these huge boats!
“Every time we go to that place, people say, ‘This is for four people,’ and Joe drinks it like nothing!”