Joseph Parker trains with Tyson Fury, the only man to beat Deontay Wilder in the ring. Ahead of his fight against Wilder on Saturday, Parker figures he can’t get better insight into the Tuscaloosa boxer than from Fury.

Fury’s advice was straightforward: Keep out of the way of Wilder’s right fist.

“That’s what I’m going to do,” Parker said at the pre-fight press conference on Thursday. “… I’ve had a great camp. We’re going into this fight with a good game plan, great strategy.”

Wilder’s 43-2-1 record includes 42 knockouts.

“I’m good that’s he’s getting advice,” Wilder said on Thursday. “I hope he takes it all in because when he wakes up, he going to be like ‘Damn, they lied to me.’ …

“Nowadays my name is called Dr. Sleep, and I definitely got the NyQuil in the right hand, so I hope he brings a pillow and a blanket.”

Wilder and Parker will meet in a heavyweight bout as the co-main feature on the Day of Reckoning card at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Wilder said he and Parker “should have fought a long time ago” when Wilder held the WBC world heavyweight title and Parker was the WBO world heavyweight champion.

“I truly believe that he ran from me,” Wilder said. “I’ve heard that he said he’s confident that he’s going to knock me out. But I kind of find that hard to believe because how can you have confidence in yourself as a challenger and you didn’t have confidence in yourself as a champion. It’s kind of backwards to me.

“But whatever floats his boat. We’ll see what happens on Saturday night. I can’t wait. I’m looking forward to sharing the ring with him and may the best man win.”

Parker said he didn’t run and he is confident.

“I don’t run from anyone,” Parker said. “As you can see, I fight the best in the world every time. …

“This is a tough test, but I know I can knock him out 100 percent.”

Wilder has fought once since he suffered back-to-back losses to Fury on Feb. 22, 2020, and Oct. 9, 2021, in WBC world heavyweight championship fights. Wilder knocked out Robert Helenius in the first round on Oct. 15, 2022, in Brooklyn, New York.

Parker has a 33-3 record with 23 knockouts. He’s coming off a knockout of Simon Kean on Oct. 28 in Riyadh.

Parker won the WBO world heavyweight title via a unanimous decision over Razvan Cojanu on May 6, 2017. He had one successful defense before losing the belt to Anthony Joshua by unanimous decision on March 31, 2018.

Joshua will fight Otto Wallin in the final bout on the Day of Reckoning card in the co-main feature on Saturday. The eight-fight lineup includes six heavyweight bouts and the WBA light heavyweight championship fight between champion Dmitry Bivol and challenger Lyndon Arthur.

“Just to be a part of this card with so many great fighters – this is a one-of-a-kind card with so any great fighters on one card, heavyweights,” Wilder said. “This is what we like to see. Everyone loves to see heavyweights, and they love to see knockouts. They got the right man on the card for this job. I’m definitely coming to do what I do best. It’s something that’s God-given. It’s something that I don’t have to pressure myself to do or others apply pressure on to me. It’s something that comes naturally, and I’m coming to do it again this time around as well.”

Day of Reckoning starts at 10 a.m. CST Saturday. Wilder and Parker aren’t expected to enter the ring until after 4:30 p.m. There won’t be a world title on the line, but the winner will get the vacant WBC international heavyweight belt and Parker is risking his WBO inter-continental heavyweight championship.

“He was a world champion at one point in time,” Wilder said. “He comes with a lot of heart. He comes with a lot of bravery. So when you have a man who comes with a lot of heart and bravery, it always sets out for a great fight. And being able to be in the Fury camp, that doesn’t bother me. That don’t mean nothing to me, because I don’t think he’s ever faced a guy with my caliber, especially not my power.”

Day of Reckoning is available to watch via the pay-per-view services of ESPN+ and DAZN.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.