British-born Nigerian boxer Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua on Saturday defeated New Zealander Joseph Parker in a world heavyweight title bout at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
It was a unanimous points win for Joshua after two judges gave the fight it to him by a margin of 118-110, with the third scoring it 119-109.
With the victory, Joshua now holds the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO world heavyweight titles. Only Deontay Wilder’s WBC belt is stopping the boxer, whose father is from Sagamu, Ogun State, from having the full set.
Though Parker lost his world heavyweight unification bout by unanimous decision, he is the first man to go the distance with Joshua.
“My strategy was to stick behind the jab, that’s one of the most important weapons,” Joshua said in the ring afterwards.
Parker’s best rounds were the first two and possibly the fifth, but he looked the most dangerous when he was tagged. Unfortunately for him, when he went to engage and brawl, the referee got in the way.
Parker said on his performance, “Today I got beaten by a better champion. It’s a good experience being here. Thank you all for the opportunity. No regrets. We’ll be back again. I’d love to have another go; it’s back to the drawing board.”
Joshua found his range in the third and both men were warned for leading with their heads. Immediately after Parker landed a left hook but it was Joshua’s round.
