Parker, who recently defeated Razvan Cojanu to defend his championship for the first time, acknowledged the role Fury played in opening up the division due to his victory over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015.
Fury travelled to Germany to rip four versions of the top division crown away from the formidable Ukrainian but struggled to deal with his success and faded into the background until a recent resurgence.
Despite the fact his own home fight with Fury’s cousin Hughie fell through, New Zealander Parker is hopeful of one day seeing ‘2 Fast’ in action down under as the one-time king continues training to lose over 100 pounds of excess weight gain.
“I think he will (return). I think Tyson Fury will overcome what’s he’s been going through. I think people are underestimating his determination,” Parker exclusively told World Boxing News.
“Don’t forget he’s the one who beat Klitschko to open up the heavyweight division. It wouldn’t be like this if it wasn’t for Tyson Fury so great credit to him.
“I know he wants his titles back so I’m sure he will be fighting again soon, better and stronger than ever.
“He’s just got a few things to overcome, but everyone goes through trials and tribulations and you have to become stronger for what you go through.
“Of course the division misses him. He’s a character who brings a lot of entertainment to the division. It will be good for him to be back and hopefully we get to see him fight in New Zealand one day.”
Currently linked to a UK title defense against Tony Bellew in the summer of 2017, Parker remains firmly in the mix at 200 pounds plus for a potential contest with Fury once a comeback date is made official.
Phil Jay is Editor of World Boxing News. Follow on Twitter @PhilDJay
