Joe Joyce stopped Joseph Parker within the eleventh spherical to declare the vacant WBO interim heavyweight title at Manchester’s AO Arena.
Londoner Joyce, who had gained all of his earlier 14 skilled fights, began confidently within the opening spherical as he took a few robust proper fingers from New Zealand’s Parker, however remained unmoved.
Former WBO world champion Parker – who has shared the ring with the likes of Anthony Joshua, Andy Ruiz Jr, Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora – was pushed on to the ropes in the course of the third spherical as Joyce landed a collection of telling blows.
The 30-year-old Kiwi, coached by Andy Lee and who trains with Tyson Fury on the WBC heavyweight champion’s base in Morecambe, wanted to discover a response. Once once more, although, Joyce stood up to an enormous proper hand on to his chin towards the tip of the fourth. Joyce saved Parker pushed again on to the ropes with a run of physique pictures early within the sixth earlier than the 37-year-old additionally landed a powerful uppercut.
Both males then began to really feel the tempo of what had been a relentless heavyweight contest earlier than a minimize opened up over Parker’s proper eye, which his nook went to work on on the finish of the seventh.
Joyce continued to reside up to his “juggernaut” nickname, touchdown one other huge proper hand within the eighth, earlier than a blooded Parker bravely went ahead with a left hook.
At the beginning of the ninth, Parker, his left eye beginning to shut, one way or the other discovered the power to go on the offensive, dispatching an uppercut which as soon as once more Joyce absorbed.
Parker was finally dropped by a left hook from Parker within the eleventh. Although he obtained again on to his toes, the New Zealander couldn’t beat the depend. Joyce will now be concentrating on a shot at a world title later this 12 months or early 2023 – and would seem in prime place to problem unified champion Oleksandr Usyk.
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