Heavyweight Boxing! Joseph Parker (NEW ZEALAND) vs Anthony Joshua (UK) | Fight Highlights

Calls for the bell. Round one underway. Joshua always waking up in beast mode and putting the majority of his 20 previous opponents in airplane mode. Parker would love to prove that he has more game than Parker brothers. Allen. You've made more analogies in the first 20 seconds than ever. I think, you know, both men will start out using the jab and we've seen that already. Parker has already thrown a number of them. Definitely, I agree, Al. Interesting, the kind of jab Parker's throwing. He's not stepping in with it. He's shooting it right for where he's at. And that's the kind of jab you're trying to use to draw a counter shot from Joshua so you can counter that counter. When you step in, you're looking for a reaction. When you get the reaction, you counter that reaction. So that's the kind of jab Parker's using right now. He's not trying to take too much risk. Parker's already showcasing his trademark double jab. His jab, by the way, endorsed by none other than Larry Holmes, who has the best stick in the business. Anthony Joshua would like to toss his hat in that ring, Al. That's for sure. And we talked about the elbow surgeries. Just past the midpoint of the opening round, where both Joshua and Parker are looking to establish the jab. Jab upstairs by Joshua before darting in with a right hand to the body. But my job is to break him down, and that's certainly what Joshua does. Parker fighting like he expected to be on the back foot. So far, calm. And now Joshua's got him tracked here. And Parker wants to avoid. Joshua doing a decent job of cutting the ring off, and that can slowly mentally start to pressure you a little bit if you're Parker. Joshua, the lightest he's weighed since his 10th pro bout against Michael Sprott in 2014. And that's what Parker needs to do. See that jab that he uses at times, a nice right hand to the body by Parker and Joshua. See that jab that he uses at times, not stepping in. Once in a while, he's got to bait Joshua and then step in with a second and third jab, like he did earlier. Joshua and Parker looking to establish the jab early. The bell and round two. Joshua told us that he would be willing to take risks and take out Parker early. Parker has never been down in his professional or amateur career. Of course, Joshua, a dramatic victory in what was the 2017 fight of the year. Their one common opponent, Carlos Tacom, was able to land against Joseph Parker with some left hooks and overhand rights. And you don't want to see those punches land by Joshua if you're Parker. But again, had Parker stepped in, Joshua might have caught him. But because he didn't step in, he was able to pull away from it. He is watching with vested interest back in the United States. Now, as I watch Parker move around in his approach to the Roy Jones, John Ruiz fight, you know, where he's kind of got that left hand down. He's trying to shoot those sharpshooting jabs and looking to just hot shot with sharp shots to Joshua, maybe frustrate him into making a mistake. Al, while Joshua, he learns more from watching Evander Holyfield. Yeah, he wants to add those wrinkles to his game and have that in his toolkit as well. Joshua has a proficient jab and a vicious uppercut. Just ask Vladimir Klitschko and Dillian White. He's thinking he has to throw in this fight, but if it's there, he'll throw it. And Joshua, oh, nice fight. Counter right by Parker. Right hand and another right hand by Joshua to Parker's body at 45 seconds left in the second. The thing about, and he's not showing any frustration thus far for the for the athletic style that Parker is showing so far. He's starting to react a little bit with counters. Combat sports athletes I've come across in my long career and and Joshua, one of his better attributes, Al, the fact, of course, he is confident he is. He knows he's a work in progress. Yeah, he does. You know, Joseph Parker's found a home for his right hand in this fight, and that's good for him. Not boxing badly. Third round underway, scheduled for 12 to. This fight settled into a pace. There's the first really good jab that Joshua has landed in this fight. And Joshua sticking the jab to the midsection. You can feel a difference in Anthony Joshua in this round. He's he's committing more to the jab. He's trying to throw it with more authority. Joshua, with a huge six inch reach advantage, will try to take advantage of that with those pull cue jabs, keeping Joshua fainting. The hook is the punch that Carlos Tacoma is able to land. Oh, there's that short right uppercut on the inside by Joshua. If you fall asleep on the inside and then don't stay awake in there, man, he'll he'll find a room for that uppercut. It almost shouldn't be as good a weapon for him. Just past the midpoint of round three. Joshua is settling into a pace where he's starting to get pressure off on Parker and starting to get a little closer bit by bit. Joshua backs a portion of the real estate. You can feel the tension in the air of whether Joshua, when he lands something big, how will Parker react to it? Parker himself has landed a couple of decent right hands, but nothing monstrous, as Paulie pointed out, has defended it twice in fights that weren't exactly aesthetically pleasing. Desultory affairs may be too kind, but admonishing them about the clashing of heads. I like what Parker is doing. He anytime Joshua does get off some shots, he just shoots a counter jab. It's not going to knock you out. It's not going to hurt you. Nine minutes have elapsed here in this title unification fight in Cardiff, Wales. This is round number four, scheduled for 12, waiting in the wings. And I would say impatiently so, Albertstein. You know, this fight's fascinating because these first three rounds, you know, very close rounds. And that's the thing, they've been competitive, they've been close, but I just think geographically, a good counter jab by Joshua, but it's hard to win rounds on the road, are these judges giving him any credit? And Joshua has only been this far four times in his career. In these first few rounds. You can feel Joshua starting with the, there's a right, but he's been throwing the left hook with more authority. And I think that punch will get in, in the next, this round or in the next couple. Joshua also really not getting enough credit here for the subtle thing he's doing here. He's got a good control of range. You know, he's. Joshua continues to keep Parker on his back foot, trying to corral him in the corner, Parker using some lateral movement, but finding himself on the ropes, double jab by Parker, but unable to negotiate the distance. Sometimes that jab is just to gain real estate back. So with that double jab missed, but it forced Joshua to give ground. But tonight he's moving his head pretty well. He's slipping punches well and doing a pretty good job in the fourth frame, coming up on the final 30 seconds of the round. And now more to your point, he's not, not only has he's been able to slip a lot of punches, but he's also, his jab is preventing Joshua. There's a couple of good body shots. Those final 10 seconds of the fourth round, Parker, the prohibitive underdog hanging tough with Anthony Joshua. The bell goes, this is round number five. Uh, and that was what Joshua wanted to kind of duplicate in this fight has on occasion, but not consistently. Joshua, one of seven current champions representing the United Kingdom as he lands a punch on Parker, Joshua, the sixth heavyweight champion from the United Kingdom, he got Parker to react on that and then turn it into a hook. And again, Parker lunging in with the double jab misses with the right as well, for a ferocious left hook. He was. And of course, Kevin Barry was his trainer and this is like deja vu for Barry again, challenging a British champion. And what about that punches thrown in a heavyweight fight? Ironic. Oh, look at Parker chasing down. He got put Joshua out of position. The connection here for similar because, uh, Joshua's background is also Nigerian. You know, Parker was able to go to the body there. He's been trying to do that a little bit. Um, and we'll see if he can continue. Finding a lot of the offense. Joshua's landed for Parker, his best combination of the fight with less than a minute left in the fifth and then got out of the way of the counter left hook, an improvement in his defense out yet. No question about that. I think that's the headline in this fight right now. Now granted with Anthony Joshua, the one punch can change your fight. Parker said that he is here for war. He told us that Josh was going to have to give the Sunday punch on this Saturday night, Saturday night in Cardiff. Josh Parker having himself a pretty good round. Yeah. That's what I said. Best run for Joseph Parker in this fight. And that's not the kind of approach you want to take on a slick guy like Parker. The sixth round underway, Joseph Parker trained by Kevin Barry in Las Vegas. Barry has been training Parker for the last five years. Barry, by the way, collects butterflies and you know, that he wants a Parker to be floating like a butterfly and stinging like a beer. He hurt Joshua with that right hand. I'll tell you, Joshua, keeping his balance. And Joshua with a counter right. And here we have our first exchange as a referee, but he just muted the first real offensive exchange in the fight. Yeah, that was, that was a strange scenario. Totally there. And that was the thing. I mean, it took him like three seconds to break that up. A lot of times, some more damage can be done. Right hand by Joshua lands on Parker who tried to roll with it. Just like the, our first fight of March Madness in the heavyweight division took a while to percolate for Ortiz and Wilder. It's starting to develop for Joshua in this fight. He starts, he's going straight back. Every time Parker puts more than one or two punches together and they're going straight back and get you caught. Clubbing right hand by Joshua, the counter by Parker. The body language, he appears confident along the ropes, flashes the jab. The counter punching of Joseph Parker has been impressive in this round. Yeah, and that's going to create the doubt. Counter punching will make your defense better because the other guy won't throw as confidently. Parker threw his first punch when he was four, when his dad Dempsey, a punching at the age of four, entered his first boxing gym when he was 10, had his first amateur bout at 12. So both in terms of his amateur background, although Joshua did win the Olympic gold medal and there Joshua landed a short right hand upstairs before a little shoeshine action to the body. Joshua was having a very hard time getting his offense started. He really is. Well, with no less an authority than the Eastern assassin, Larry Holmes endorses it as the best in boxing. We're starting to maybe see why in this round. To Parker using his athleticism very, very well. And Parker later on in the round, again, using that jab and encountering, uh, well with the right hand underneath to the chest of Joshua and Joshua, you could see there just awkward action for him in those, uh, exchanges, uh, Al, you know, he's got both guys are, uh, just missing a little bit and that's due to good balance and good position. We begin the second half of this 12 round championship unification fight. Anthony Joshua, let's bring in our unofficial score. Steve borrowed. How do you have it scored at the midway point? And Joshua did just enough to win most of those rounds, but the clearly the better power punches in rounds. I scored the second 10, 10 judges hate doing that. I felt, I just felt nobody did anything in that round to deserve the, to deserve a 10, nine round. Yeah. I don't, I don't hate the 10, 10 so much. Why punish one guy? Just because you can't make up your mind. Parker first met Joshua at the 2011 world amateur championships in Azerbaijan. Parker didn't make it to the final, but Joshua did. AJ suffered his Joshua, the 40 and slipped there. He doesn't move as well as Parker does. And Parker wants to utilize that speed and movement. And so far in this fight, he has used the movement very effectively. Body shot. Oh, and there's that patented right uppercut. Joshua has the right to throw the uppercut. If you're not getting in the middle of breaking them there. Yeah. There was no reason for it. I go back to what I said a couple of rounds ago. This is why you need a physically big referee to referee. Major fights has never officiated a fight of this magnitude. And of course, Parker has never been in an atmosphere like this. And so far he belongs here and he wants to prove his, his critics, his doubters wrong, he wants to take the, to be honest, this is a flat performance so far by Anthony Joshua. A counter right hand attempt by Parker. And that's what he needs to do to create some doubt in that Joshua jab. At Principality Stadium last October against their lone common opponent, Carlos Takam as Joshua sticks the jab. Round eight underway here at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. Joseph Parker. You know, the last three fights he has gone the distance. Joseph Parker, two of those majority wins, interestingly. And as you pointed out, you know, in this portion of the fight, I'm curious to see if Joshua starts to cut off the ring to the right and he steps over to the right, if he forces Parker to move to, Joshua's not making that adjustment thus far and Anthony Joshua, let's be honest. He's not being super aggressive. He's not throwing a lot of punches. He's not, his offense is muted. Anthony Joshua has only been this far twice in his last two outings. You see the consistency of, oh, good hook by Parker. Jab to the body by Joshua. Parker responds with a snapping jab of his own. Double jab, befuddle Anthony Joshua. Tell you what, Parker's rhythm is also throwing Joshua off a little bit. He's got this little herky-jerky stuff that he's doing. Joshua's trying to creep in. He's got to give us a couple of feints here and there. This is the most- From both Joshua and Parker. He has slowed the pace of this fight appreciably in his own. Oh, there's a left hand that lands for Joshua. Parker leaning in, clip with a right uppercut. And what the hell is the referee doing? I don't know why he jumped in. I thought Parker slipped that uppercut though. He's got that under control. He puts that right forearm underneath and turns his head. 10 seconds left in the eighth. Joshua with a jab to the midsection, goes upstairs with another jab, but doesn't follow up with that vaunted right hand, the painful anesthetic. Inquiring minds want to know, Giuseppe Quattarone only working his fourth title fight. And here we are in round number nine. Joshua looking to establish the jab, following up with the right hand. Parker avoiding it. And always avoiding going to his left. And Joshua's not cutting that off. Well, we may not see that out. No. Double jab by Parker as they clinch. He's willing to accept those clinches and look to the referee. That's, I think, some place where he needs to be more aggressive. Joshua again. He was prepared for that uppercut, I tell you. There was a memorable uppercut that took place in round 11 of the Klitschko fight out. Yes. Definitely needs to be an uptick in the offensive output of Anthony Joshua. But look at the distance they're fighting at. This is high-skill boxing. Just look at the distance they're at. They're very close. A minute 20 left in the ninth. There's a right hand that lands. That's what he's looking for. And this, but the distance, what I'm trying to say is the distance that they're fighting at. And this is, a lot of this fight has been fought at this distance. I think some fans might think Anthony Joshua may be too calm right now. Oh, there again, looking for that right uppercut. And then gets less than a minute remaining in the ninth. The crowd here at Principality Stadium in Cardiff trying to exhort Anthony Joshua. But so far, Joshua unable to consistently impose his will and skill. They're very close. And you see the attempt of the counter jab. And again, Parker nullifies the follow-through from Joshua. A lead left hook bounces off Joshua's arm by Parker. It's going to be a tough fight to judge, guys. In this heavyweight title unification fight, the 11th in heavyweight history. Just the second involving undefeated champions as Parker continues to dig away at the body, once again, interrupted by the ubiquitous Giuseppe Quartarone. Parker caught in the left eye. Parker has been cut before in his career, back in 2013 against Apatatupu. And cut can be dangerous, because if it gets in his eye, he's blinding you from that side. You have to have plastic surgery. Remember, Joshua has only been four times, he's gone the distance of 12 rounds. And his last three fights have been 12. And then smothers his own right hand. A lot of times, he's got to draw that reaction out of Parker. Maybe fainting, maybe throwing a half a jab, get him to bend. And that way, he's got enough space to shoot the right hand over him. And we've seen Joshua put together combinations throughout his career. He's known for his combination work, not so much in this fight. That's a very astute comment. Disrupts rhythm and disrupts your combinations. But also, it's herky-jerky defense. As I was saying before, Joshua, a lot of times, oh, good body shots by Parker. Can leave enough space, but he's stepping in too hard, and he smothers himself once Parker bends. A minute left in the 10th, and... You know, these guys, you know, this is, it sounds simple, but it's really not. Again, because look at the distance they're fighting at. This, any punch could be dangerous. You have to have high concentration to fight at this distance consistently. And they fought at this distance consistently. So it may look like a boring fight. This is actually a super tactical fight. Boring to some. Joshua going to the body with the jab. Has Parker backed up in the corner, and again, just whiffing with that right uppercut. Remember, it was a right uppercut that failed. Joshua's... Even Joshua's becoming a little, uh... It's also the tape, though, guys. Upset about that tape. Portarone is there, but yeah, the tape. Like you said, Mauro, they got to get that straight in the corner. Parker's left eye, the penultimate round. The championship rounds are underway here at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. Between undefeated Anthony Joshua, undefeated Joseph Parker. Joseph Parker could have created this kind of pace in this fight, in this kind of fight, over 11 rounds. Much more experience in the championship rounds. And again, now, got to go back to that jab of Parker. It has allowed the pace to be slowed. And they said, and they said, everybody said, going into this fight, both corners to control the jab was... And for me, honestly, a lot of the rounds are close. It could be a really close fight. But on the road, it's hard to get a decision. And you shouldn't have to take extra risks against Joshua, I would know. You may have fought on the black, but back to the white surprise. Yeah, especially with such a bigger puncher like Joshua. But I just hope we don't get wider scorecards than they should be, even if Joshua does get it. Joshua does have a... Joseph Parker does not. As we see in the scores from our unofficial scorer, Steve Farhadi. Yet to see any real sense of urgency from either Joshua or Parker. Highly tactical affair between two of the best heavyweights in the world. Lennox Lewis, Michael Grant. Yeah, and Cuauhtemoc didn't see it at all, because he didn't even warn him. The right hand of Joshua has really been in mothballs in this fight. The left hook, which I put in the keys, because I thought it was going to be the major power punch. He's tried. A lot of times it's been just a real estate battle. You saw a few seconds ago, right hand to the body by Parker. Maybe it didn't look like it did damage, but... There's a combination on Joshua. The hook little trouble in this 3-minute stanza. The touching gloves at the end of the round. The respect that hasn't been shown all fight. For the first time in 21 professional fights, Anthony Joshua sees round number 12. And the more success that Joshua has achieved, the more as you could fall. That's why he says he works hard every day. This could be the hardest 3 minutes of his career against Joseph Parker, looking to upset boxing's biggest global star. And can Parker do something offensively that would make a statement in this round? And, you know, there's some body work. Even though Joshua is a good body puncher. Absolutely, not bad at all. And he says, I've always been a 12-round fighter. I know I'm ready to do it. I just haven't had to do it. Again, the distance they're at. Anybody can land a punch here, but... Still fought with respect. Good body shot by Joshua, as we mentioned. Parker backing up to the ropes. Separate. Joshua lands the jab, follows it up with a right hand. I was gonna say, now it's Joshua with the counter jab. It usually had been Parker. Joshua has Parker. Oh, a catapult right hand out of the corner by Parker. A minute left in the fight. Parker does a good job of riding with a lot of the shots, too. Yes. Especially with those right hands. Right, short right uppercut to the body by Parker. Under 20 seconds now left in this title unification fight. Another good jab by Joshua. Another jab by AJ, backing Parker to the corner. Presence felt. Yeah, with like 10 seconds left. It's ridiculous. Well, New Zealand and Samoa, your boy, Joseph Parker, is no April Fool. A heroic effort in... ...over to 119 to 109. All three judges scored for the winner by unanimous decision, the Fighting God of the United Kingdom.