Four words from Tyson Fury stood out to Andy Lee above the rest as they spoke about the latter taking a shot as Joseph Parker's trainer.
Joseph Parker and new trainer Andy Lee. Photo: Mark Robinson/Photosport
Asked by the New Zealander for advise on a new mentor after a lacklustre win over Junior Fa, the heavyweight world champion was quick to hand with a recommendation.
Lee and Fury are not only second cousins, but the Irish former middleweight world champion is also a key member of the Gypsy King team.
Naturally, Fury also spoke to Lee, singing Parker's praises and suggesting the pair would be a great partnership.
Lee said the words "he's one of us" convinced him it was worth a shot with a 29-year-old from the other side of the planet.
"I don't know how to describe it, but I knew what [Tyson] meant instantly and it's been proven to be true," he told RNZ from Manchester, where Parker was set to fight British veteran Dereck Chisora on Sunday.
"We're very comfortable in each other's company and Joseph was very open with me from the first day.
"After training he came to my house and had lunch with my wife and I, and when we spoke he would often volunteer things about his past a lot of other people wouldn't be freely giving up.
"That was a good sign."
Fury had since declared Parker an "honorary gypsy", while Parker and Lee had quickly formed a close bond inside and outside Fury's training gym in Morecambe, where they had been preparing for the Chisora bout.
Dereck Chisora and Joseph Parker ahead of their heavyweight fight in Manchester. Photo: Matchroom Boxing/Photosport
While they had only had a relatively limited time period of around seven weeks together to get ready, Parker agreed the partnership had gelled very nicely.
"He's a great guy to be around. Very fun, positive energy.
"But when it's time to get into the gym and work there's a switch, where he doesn't take any bullcrap.
"He's all about working hard, no complaints and listening."
That listening, with Lee wanting to avoid big changes, had revolved around just a couple of key areas.
The first had taken Parker back to basics, with a focus on his punching technique.
Lee said he'd spotted a flaw in the way Parker was throwing his punches, with a few tweaks already providing more pop and power.
Another had been the concept of concentration, which Lee had noticed from previous fights.
"It's almost a bit of laziness because you're looking for a break.
"The best fighters stay switched on and focussed and they're always ready to punch.
"I can almost see instantly when Joseph has a lapse but increasingly now, the last few weeks, I haven't seen it.
"Hopefully it's becoming a habit where he stays switched on all the time."
Joseph Parker in the gym with new trainer Andy Lee. Photo: Mark Robinson/Photosport
It was a quality set to be crucial against Chisora, a fighter renowned for constant forward pressure.
The 37-year-old had promised more of the same, while manager and former heavyweight world champ David Haye said it was no secret they wanted to drag Parker into a fight and ultimately find the finish.
The New Zealander was widely viewed as the better technical boxer but Lee said that didn't mean they weren't also eyeing up a KO.
"I see Joseph boxing a smart fight and if he can put into practice what we've been rehearsing in training, I can see Joseph winning by late stoppage.
"We don't want to leave anything to the judges. The only way to guarantee anything in this game is by getting a knockout so as much as they're going for it, we're going to be going for it as well."
If that proved a successful approach, it appeared more than likely the new partnership would continue.
Lee said the ideal result was to win, head straight back to Ireland with Parker and lock in another fight for July or August.
Parker was well and truly on board, and hoped his time with Lee would extend well beyond Sunday's clash with Chisora.
"I feel like with the little time we've been given to work together, we've made some good changes. Positive changes.
"If we had an even longer time, imagine what we could do together.
"I see this as the beginning of a long partnership."
