Heavyweight Joe Joyce and former world champion Joseph Parker squared off round after round, but it was Joyce who landed the hardest punches and had the strongest chin before finally knocking Parker out in the 11th round of an action-packed battle on Saturday at AO Arena in Manchester, England.
A picture paints more than a thousand words. This photo says it all ????#JoyceParker pic.twitter.com/FIU1sjYaFR
— Frank Warren (@frankwarren_tv) September 24, 2022
Joyce claimed the vacant WBO interim title and positioned himself as the mandatory challenger to unified champion Oleksandr Usyk by scoring the biggest victory of his career.
“Joseph Parker, what a fighter and what a great fight,” Joyce said. “It was a tough fight and a compliment to Joseph Parker because he has improved and what a tough fight. I really enjoyed it. It was tough there and I had to dig deep to get through the rounds.”
Parker had his moments, particularly in the first half of the fight when it was very competitive, but Joyce took over in the sixth round and hit Parker, who showed big heart and landed some heavy shots, but Joyce outboxed them.
“They both give it their all and Joe showed why they call him the ‘Juggernaut.’ He made some tremendous shots, but at the end of the day I knew he was going to get there, but I was a little surprised at how quick he was in the early rounds,” said Joyce’s promoter Frank Warren of Queensberry Promotions. “It was pretty quick. And he was going out and taking the fight to Joseph Parker. Congratulations to Joseph Parker. He is a tough guy, a brave warrior.”
Parker, who was being cheered on ringside by WBC and lineal heavyweight champion, good friend and training partner Tyson Fury, suffered a cut over his left eye and a bloody nose in the second round when they traded clean shots. Joyce landed clubbing rights and Parker fired overhand rights in a battle of attrition.
In the sixth round, Joyce appeared to hurt Parker with a body shot and in the seventh he sent Parker into the ropes with a hard right hand. She also cut Parker over the right eye and landed a series of big shots in the seventh.
Joyce, who applied intense pressure, was taking Parker down, but Parker never stopped trying to win despite the punishment he was receiving.
Parker landed a tremendous uppercut in the ninth round and had to be put off when Joyce didn’t flinch and fired back.
In the eleventh round, Joyce was continuing her assault when she landed a clean left hand that dropped Parker near a corner. A bloodied Parker finally got to his feet, but not before referee Steve Gray called him out at minute, 3 seconds.
“I hit him with everything, the kitchen sink, body shots,” Joyce said. “I tried everything, but he kept moving forward. I managed to drop it in the end. It was hard work.”
According to CompuBox statistics, Joyce landed 308 of 844 punches (37 percent), including 96 body shots. Parker landed 147 of 566 punches (26 percent). Joyce had a significant advantage in punches landed beginning in the sixth round.
“Very tough. Joe is a tough man,” Parker said. “We knew what we were up against and he kept coming back, so the biggest and best man won today. I had to keep working, but it’s a tough challenge when you have someone like Joe pushing you and chasing you and I didn’t really execute the plan we had. I did my best. It wasn’t my night tonight, but I want to get back there right away. I just told him congratulations on your win, well deserved. Every time I hit him , he was coming back. He’s a great fighter.”
Parker (30-3, 21 KOs), 30, of New Zealand, saw the end of a six-fight winning streak since back-to-back decision losses to Anthony Joshua in a world title unification fight in 2018, followed by a close decision loss to Anthony Joshua. Dillian Whyte later that year. He said that he would rest, regroup and come back.
“I still feel like I have a lot to give to boxing,” Parker said. There is no point in insisting on it. A loss is a loss. Get back to training and keep working. There are no excuses. I did everything right in camp and was in good shape and today I got beaten by the bigger man.”
Warren said he would work hard to make sure England’s Joyce (15-0, 13 KOs), 37, who was a super heavyweight Olympic silver medalist in 2016, gets his title shot in 2023.
“He is getting better. It is like a good wine. It’s getting better with age,” Warren said of Joyce. “No doubt about that. And now he’s in a great place. He is the mandatory challenger for the WBO title against Usyk and we are going to move heaven and earth to make sure he gets a world title shot next year. Obviously there is talk of Usyk and Tyson Fury unifying but now he is firmly in a position to fight for a world title next year and that will be in the UK.
Warren said that Joyce would not sit back and wait for the title shot. He said that she would return to action in early 2023.
“Let it rest and probably take it out again around February or March,” Warren said.
Joyce, however, wants the title shot.
“Usyk, let’s get going,” Joyce said.
