Anthony Joshua admits he's struggling to "keep a lid on that pot of fire" as Joseph Parker taunts him into a heavyweight boxing title unification fight.
WBO champion Parker is desperate to fight WBA and IBF champion Joshua and the big Brit believes a March or April bout in the UK is "realistic".
It seems Parker's unorthodox methods of prompting Joshua into taking the fight are hitting a nerve.
Team Parker have released videos to question Joshua's "glass chin" and repeatedly accused him of greed as the Kiwis haggle for a 35 per cent cut of the net profit from what would be a mega-fight.
Joshua has tried to steer clear of the trash talk though he admits there is a place for the "gutter" element of boxing.
"Life is about how you interpret things and when I first started boxing, my interpretation [of boxing] was all about Mike Tyson and the gutter side of it," Joshua said.
"Then I started realising the discipline and regimen of the likes of Klitschko and how they conduct themselves. So I tried to change the angle.
"But you need that gutterness as well, which I show in the fight, but outside of that, it's calmness and respect.
"It's tough sometimes though if someone keeps on poking you, how do you keep a lid on that pot of fire?"
There has been no lack of "poking" from Parker to keep the fight in the headlines.
The Kiwi has been successful in giving a hoped-for fight with Joshua international attention and also increasing his own profile in the UK.
And it appears there has been enough progress in talks between the two camps to suggest the fight will happen. Details could even be revealed later this week with a desire by Parker to get things squared away before Christmas to allow planning.
Joshua has also been negotiating with American Deontay Wilder, the WBC champion, about a unification fight. But Wilder's steadfast attitude about getting 50 per cent of the profits mean Parker is the priority for Joshua at the moment.
"We have to get our hands on another championship belt. Joseph Parker is being very realistic in terms of when he's going to fight and negotiations," Joshua said when he attended the BBC's sports personality of the year award in Liverpool on Monday (NZT).
"That's a fight that potentially could happen sometime in March or April."
Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn released a short video of a chat in a car on their way back from the awards where they repeated that view with Hearn saying Parker had priority over Wilder.
"Why do you say Parker first?" Joshua asks.
Hearn replies: "Because he is the one who is remotely realistic ... remotely realistic."
Joshua then chips in with: "I don't like to give false promises, but I agree ... Parker is remotely realistic in negotiaitons."
It is understood Hearn has been willing to give Parker 30 per cent.
It's now a matter of seeing if they can find some middle ground for a fight tipped to be held at Cardiff's Principality Stadium which holds 76,000 and has a retractable roof, making it an ideal large venue for that time of year.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES. Caption: Anthony Joshua likes respect but admits there's a gutter element that still has its place in boxing.