The 23-year-old New Zealand boxer believes his efforts will lead to a world title shot, but it will take some time.
Parker was in Dunedin this week before next Saturday's heavyweight showdown with Germany's Yakup Saglam in Palmerston North.
Parker said Saglam (34 wins, three losses) might not be the big-name opponent his team had originally wanted, but he was still his ''biggest challenge'' because of his experience and 31 knockout wins.
The Turkish-born Saglam (38) has fought mainly in Germany.
He has a powerful right hand and is coming off two stoppage wins last year and a knockout win in March, when he won the vacant German Boxing Association title.
Parker (13-0) has racked up six wins in about 15 months and has climbed to rankings of No8 with the WBO and No10 with the WBA.
Parker said one of his biggest priorities was to fight as often as possible, and despite Saglam being unranked by any of the five governing bodies, he should not be underestimated.
He expected Saglam to press forward, use occasional ''dirty tactics'' and try to cramp Parker for room.
Parker is coming off a 10-week camp, including a well-publicised stint sparring with undisputed world champion Vladimir Klitschko.
''He is just an ultimate professional that does the little things right and is very hard to break down defensively,'' Parker said.
Parker said he held his own but sparring with Klitschko accentuated his need to always keep his hands up.
Klitschko preferred swimming to running to build his cardio base, and that was something Parker had incorporated into his training because it helped build lung capacity and was easier on his joints.
After the Saglam fight, Parker is set to fight in Invercargill on August 1, but he was unsure who he would face at this stage.
One potential opponent, in the eyes of many pundits, is England's Anthony Joshua, who is undefeated, with 13 knockout wins.
The 25-year-old Joshua won a gold medal as a super-heavyweight at the London Olympics in 2012 before turning professional in 2013.
Parker said Joshua was an ''exceptional talent''.
He thought it was inevitable that they would fight one day, but a fight at this stage of their careers made no sense for financial or boxing reasons.
Trainer Kevin Barry had the final say on all potential opponents, and possible fights for later in the year included New Zealander Kali Meehan and Australian Alex Leapai.
Polish fighter Izuagbe Ugonoh, of Nigerian heritage, joined the Parker team in Las Vegas about seven months ago and the pair had pushed each other, Parker said.
Ugonoh (28) won a 91kg kickboxing world championships K1 gold medal in 2009 before turning to boxing in 2010.
He has an 11-0 record, with nine knockouts, and will have his third fight in New Zealand when he faces Julius Long in Palmerston North.
Ugonoh said he and Parker had ''good energy and spirit in the gym'', and he thought Parker was on ''another level'' with his speed and skill set.
