Almost seven years after losing his WBO heavyweight belt to Anthony Joshua, Joseph Parker will have the chance to become a world heavyweight champion once again on February 22. He has been on a tear for the last two years. Finally, his hard work and resilience paid off when he defeated Zhilei Zhang last year, and will now face the IBF champion Daniel Dubois at Kingdom Arena to right his previous wrong.

It was a tough ride for the 33-year-old since losing his title but with the fighting Kiwi spirit and the support of his partner Laine Tavita, he is back on top. Tavita has been with Parker for well over a decade, and she will very likely be there cheering for him in Riyadh. So, as Joseph Parker takes on his biggest challenge yet, let’s look at the driving force behind him.

Meet Joseph Joseph Parker’s girlfriend Laine Tavita

The story of Parker and Tavita began at the Auckland Marcellin College during their teenage years and they have been together ever since. During their college days, ‘Lupesoliai La’auliolemalietoa’ (a title given to him by his tribe) penned down two goals for himself. The first was to become the world heavyweight champion with an Olympic gold and the second was to marry Laine K. Tavita. While he has already held the world championship, the second goal remains unfulfilled. How come?

There is no formal record of the couple ever tying the knot but the Kiwi fighter has often referred to Tavita as his wife on social media. She has kept her life extremely private but according to a Jukebugs report, she was born in 1995 and is 30 years old at the moment. Tavita has spent most of her formative years in New Zealand, which is also her parent’s home. Reportedly, she used to work in a 2 Degrees head office in Auckland, New Zealand before moving in with Joseph Parker.

While the WBO ‘interim’ heavyweight champion has been a rockstar inside the squared circle, Tavita has handled the Parker household. The couple are proud parents to four daughters. However, their lives have not been as breezy as everyone expects.

How many children do Joseph Parker & Laine Tavita have?

Joseph Parker and Laine Tavita welcomed their first daughter, Elizabeth Ah-Sue Sala Parker, named after his mother, on November 14, 2016. She is currently 8 years old. 2 years later, in July 2018, they welcomed their second child Shiloh Jasmine Parker,6. Their household got one more addition just a year later on May 25, 2019, as their third daughter Michaela Florence Parker was born. The youngest of Parkers, Esme Dianna Anya Parker was born in May 2022.

Bitterly, Joseph Parker was absent for three of those childbirths because of his busy schedule. And that has been the lives of five ladies of Parker households. After ‘Lupesoliai La’auliolemalietoa’s career-defining victory over Deontay Wilder in 2023, his mother Sala Parker claimed that, “He left his family behind, and dedicated all this time leading up to this fight,” revealing just how big a sacrifice Joseph Parker had to make.

Even the 33-year-old knows the isolation his girls go through. “These girls go through a lot. It’s just nice to be home,” revealed Parker after the Wilder bout. In his absence, Tavita holds down the fort single-handedly and she has been doing it ever since the pair first started dating.

She will once again be there for Joseph Parker’s biggest night and will hope to see his partner finally win the title that he lost 7 years ago. Do you think that Parker can pull off a victory against Daniel Dubois? Let us know your thoughts down below.