With the boxing world still abuzz over the potential of a heavyweight championship showdown between unbeatens Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder later this year, Joshua's next opponent hasn't quite received the full respect he has deserved. 

Yet Joseph Parker (24-0, 18 KOs), the WBO champion, enters Saturday's unification bout against the WBA and IBF champion Joshua (20-0, 20 KOs) with more than just an opportunity to play spoiler for the Wilder fight. The native of New Zealand also has a chance at finally fulfilling his once great promise as a potential heir to the heavyweight throne. 

Joshua, 27, has done a good job avoiding the appearance that he's overlooking Parker as the two set to enter Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales (Showtime, 5 p.m. ET). It's a smart strategy for Joshua who, despite the distractions of having become the sport's biggest global star over the past year, seems to fully respect the danger that Parker, 26, presents as a boxer/puncher at the peak of his physical prime. 

However, many boxing fans and critics -- particularly those in the United States -- haven't remained as sober while taking stock of Parker's strengths. A lot of that has to do with how pedestrian he appeared in 2017, particularly in a close majority decision win over England's Hughie Fury last September in his opponent's backyard of Manchester.

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For many, the fight was a continuation in what has appeared to be a downward trend for Parker since winning the vacant title by majority decision over Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2016. On his way up the ladder, Parker looked fit and dominant while blowing through opposition. Yet his three title bouts have featured a more sluggish, heavier Parker laboring to decision wins in less-than-impressive fashion. 

"Last year wasn't our best year and I wasn't close to what we can actually do in the ring," Parker said during last week's media teleconference. "[Joshua's team] probably saw a lot of things that they could work on to get to us but we're a totally different fighter now from where we were last year. We've improved on a lot of things and we're going to show everyone what we've been working so hard on in [training camp in Las] Vegas."

Trainer Kevin Barry, who calls Parker still "a long way from a finished product," believes the reason for his fighter's somewhat sluggish run was a failed experiment in bulking up Parker's 6-foot-4 frame that put him above 245 pounds. 

"We put a bunch of muscle on him," Barry said. "We put an extra 10 pounds of weight on him and it actually doesn't really work out for us. So we sat down, Joe and I, and we said that we felt he was a busier fighter, a more mobile fighter, his feet and hands were faster, when he was lighter. So for a fight like this against a big, strong, powerful guy like Joshua it was important that we went back to a mobile, lighter fighter."

From the perspective of Team Parker, the performance against the 6-foot-6 Fury, the first cousin of lineal champion Tyson Fury, needs to be taken with a grain of salt considering it was a mandatory defense and Fury largely avoided contact with his awkward, shifty style. 

"I think a lot of people are already writing us off because of that performance," Parker said. "But we've worked on a lot of things and we had a great camp and it's going to be a different fight as you guys will see March 31. If they're judging us off that fight, then they've got it totally wrong. That could definitely work in our favor."

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The two heavyweights are set to square off in a de facto semifinal. Getty Images

While Parker may have looked unspectacular at times, he has never looked vulnerable and enters the fight as a big, durable and dangerous opponent for the 6-foot-6 Joshua, who brings in a whole set of questions of his own. 

Despite his meteoric rise to stardom, which included performing in front of crowds of 90,000 and a world boxing indoor record of 78,000 over his past two fights, Joshua's biggest victories have left critics questioning his chin and stamina. Last October, Joshua overcame some rough moments early to stop a determined Carlos Takam, who also lost a decision to Parker in 2016. 

To Joshua's credit, he has seen enough of Parker's fights to realize what makes him dangerous. 

"You've got to look at Parker when he boxes on the front and the back foot," Joshua said. "There's two significant changes. When he boxes on the front foot, I think he finds it difficult to land combinations because I just think he struggled a bit against Fury when he was dancing on the edge of the ring. 

"But when he fights people like Takam on his back foot, he's better. I just think he really struggled with Fury when he was coming forward. I do think he won. I do think Joseph Parker won. We're both in a position to show how great we are and why we're real contenders in the division. That's all it's about now. March 31."

A shot at Wilder, who rallied to stop Luis Ortiz on March 3 in the other de facto semifinal bout, likely awaits the winner for a shot a unifying all four major titles. A future meeting with Tyson Fury, who has begun his comeback from a two-year hiatus due to mental health and substance abuse issues, also could linger in the distance. 

But Joshua and Parker must first get past one another. 

From Parker's perspective, he holds a key advantage over Joshua, who has never gone the distance, in that he has fought the full 12 rounds five times. But his trainer believes their path to victory lies somewhere else. 

"Speed is the key," Barry said. "We've always believed that Joe's the fastest heavyweight in the world. I also believe that out of all the heavyweight champions, I think Joe has the better skill. I think he does things better than Joshua does. I think he's more complete than Joshua."

Parker admitted that all the talk of Joshua-Wilder doesn't really bother me, saying, "I think everyone is entitled to their opinion and the fight they want to see." He's more than willing to play spoiler, however, and hopes American observers will finally take notice at just how good he can be.

"The fans haven't really seen the best Joseph Parker there is," he said. "Going into this fight, we've worked on a lot of things. I trust in my coach and the game plan. I'm going to bring a lot of movement, speed and power and a lot of angles. I promise that this is a fight that I'm going to make very exciting."