Britain’s Joe Joyce surpassed Joseph Parker, the perfect New Zealander to supply to knock out his opponent within the eleventh spherical of an exhilarating encounter in Manchester.
The heavyweight went toe-to-toe in a back-and-forth contest earlier than a shock left hook flush to Parker’s chin.
Joyce claimed the WBO interim heavyweight title with the largest win of his profession and now appears to be like to problem Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usik in 2023.
Britain’s transfer was debated within the classroom after 14 professional fights towards decrease degree opponents. He turns 37 this week, turning solely a professional when he was 31 after a late begin to his newbie profession.
But Joyce confirmed off a granite chin, changing into the primary to cease former world champion Parker.
“Joseph Parker … what a fighter and what a fight,” he mentioned.
“It was a tough fight and praise for Parker. I really enjoyed it and I had to dig deep to get through the rounds. I hit him with everybody, I tried it all and he just was coming forward.
“I managed to depart him ultimately, but it surely was onerous work. Usyk let’s get to it.”
Joyce steamrolls for the win
The fight took shape in the third round. Parker got off to a good start, used his jab to hit some heavy shots, but Joyce kept coming forward.
He bleed Parker’s nose in second and third, with both men’s business exploding in relentless action.
Parker was shaken by Joyce’s brilliant one-two, seconds after Britt was tagged in with the right hand. The Kiwis stood on their feet, wonderfully, and fought back as the brutal head-to-head bellows continued.
Joyce was hit repeatedly from Parker’s left side, but each time stood firm, showing no signs that he felt the power of his opponent’s shots.
He responded to each of Parker’s strikes with his own malice shots, often cutting big right-handed or short shots.
The Briton produced the perfect Parker ever produced, with a tough left hook in fourth and big swinging in fifth.
Joyce, perhaps realizing that Parker could withstand whatever he threw at him, suddenly picked up the pace in the sixth round, trapped Parker in the corner and took off.
Parker defended himself in front of his corner and tried to slow Joyce down with body shots. But this did not stop the attack.
Parker’s nose bleed again in the seventh before the Olympian opened a large cut above his right eye.
Parker stumbled backwards down the barrage and Joyce poured forward again, but the bell came just in time for Parker.
in the eighth round and Parker’s eye was clearly bothering her as he repeatedly touched her. The guest fighter looked tired but a hard left in the end caused Joyce’s reaction.
For the first time in about 25 minutes, Joyce staggered under the weight of the shot, but the success was short-lived when he came forward again.
Parker’s left landed again in the ninth round and the heavyweight stood still for a second, waiting to see if the immovable object in front of him was hurt. He was not.
With Joyce moving again, Parker hit her in the face with four small left thorns. No luck.
Joyce then came out swinging in the 11th and finally knocked down his opponent. Parker missed the count to bring a remarkable fight to a close.
One step nearer to Serrano’s undisputed crown
Amanda Serrano is the new WBO, WBC and IBF Featherweight Champion after beating Sara Mahfoud by points.
The fighting Puerto Rican was above her Danish rival for the first time since losing to Katie Taylor in April, taking control from the first exchanges and drawing blood in the second round.
Despite her dominance, Serrano was unable to stop her playing opponent, who recovered from a shaky start to watch the final bell.
Serrano, 33, was clinical and spiteful in his southpaw stance, firing heavy shots over the course of 10 rounds, including some eye-catching left hooks and body shots.
Mahfoud, initially irritable on his feet, won out in pain as Serrano sometimes fired at will, but gradually escalated into battle.
The defending IBF champion’s corner tried his best to recover between rounds, with blood oozing from his skull.
Serrano continued to push through Mahfud’s shots, just as he did against Taylor six months earlier.
Mahfoud found success in the later rounds as Serrano’s pace slowed down a bit.
But Serrano was a clear winner in the 43rd victory of her career and is one step closer to becoming the undisputed champion in featherweight.
The seven-weight world champion indicated after his win that fans may have to wait for a Taylor rematch.
“He gave me a battle. I would like the final piece of the puzzle to be simple, then I desire a rematch with Katie Taylor,” she mentioned.
With inputs from BBC
