Joseph Parker sends NZ in a fury after meeting with Floyd Mayweather

Kiwi world heavyweight boxing champion Joseph Parker has paid a flying visit behind the scenes of next month's cross-code showdown between Floyd Mayweather Jnr and Conor McGregor.

Parker, who is set to defend his WBO crown against Hughie Fury on September 23 in Manchester, has posed with Mayweather for a photo taken by trainer Taylor Barry and posted on his Twitter account, thanking the 11-time, five-division world champion for the invitation into his camp.

Mayweather's much-hyped meeting with UFC star McGregor is scheduled for August 26 in Las Vegas, where Parker is currently preparing for his next bout.

The photo shows the stark physical contrast between the heavyweight Parker, who weighed in at 111.5kg for his last fight against Razvan Cojanu in May, and Mayweather, 40, who won his last fight two years ago at 66.5kg.

This month, Mayweather and McGregor staged joint promotional events for their fight in Los Angeles, Toronto, New York and London.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, Parker, 25, also posted a video of himself training for the Fury fight, which was originally scheduled for May, before Fury withdrew with a back injury.

"One week down, seven weeks to go ... feeling like a champ," said Parker.

• This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission.