Joseph Parker Junior Fa Decisions in New Zealand Grudge Fight

Joseph Parker really enjoyed a hero’s welcome back home.

Former WBO heavyweight champion over compatriot and former amateur rival Junior Fa. Parker claimed a unanimous 12-round decision in his long-awaited showdown Saturday night (local time) at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand.

The scores were 115-113, 117-111 and an investigation worthy of 119-109 in favor of Parker, in his main event broadcast by DAZN / Spark Sport.

Parker, from South Auckland, controlled the initial action, putting into practice his superior boxing skills. Auckland Fa sent a reminder of the danger he brings to the table, briefly swinging Parker with a left hook at the end of the opening round.

The ship was quickly corrected by Parker in the second round, establishing his straight right hand that hit the target on several occasions. Fa took the shots well, although he was unable to respond in kind.

Parker took out an increase in the crowd’s available capacity with an overhand right in the third round. Fa was briefly stunned, but remained standing and even managed to respond with his own right later on the board. Parker connected with a left hook along the strings just before the ten-second warning to end the round.

After falling behind in a developing boxing match in rounds four and five, Fa came out with a sharp right hand to start the sixth round. Parker adapted quickly, firing his jab and following with his right hand on his body. Fa landed another right hand on the top floor, causing Parker to tie up his countryman.

The achievement hurt the intermediate rounds, forcing local referee John Conway – a former middleweight and light heavyweight – to intervene frequently. Fa – who was forced to fight with a cut very close to his left eye – continued to deliver the most revealing blows, while Parker was the busier of the two when his hands were free.

Parker took a dramatic turn in the ninth round, briefly stunning the Fa with a right hand upstairs. More of the same in the tenth round caused the Fa cut to explode. Fa had his moments, using a punch to land a straight right hand and snap Parker’s head back.

As soon as the action resumed, the fight was again a clinchfest in the last two rounds. Both boxers were guilty of frequent restraint, diminishing the energy provided by the enthusiastic crowd. The referee’s services were often needed, with none of the boxers enjoying any change in momentum. Parker tried to release his hands in the final seconds, with yet another handshake to spoil the local attraction.

Fa offered a reliable account of himself in what was a breakthrough in class. However, this results in his first career loss, with the 31-year-old heavyweight dropping to 19-1 (10KOs).

Parker takes his fourth consecutive victory by improving to 28-2 (21KOs). The 29-year-old continues to seek past glory, having claimed the WBO heavyweight title in a 12-round majority decision victory over Andy Ruiz in his fight for the vacant December 2016 title among undefeated candidates .

Two saves followed before losing a 12-round unanimous decision to Anthony Joshua in their March 2018 unification clash between undefeated champions. Parker lost in his next fight, a loss of points to Dillian Whyte in July 2018 before returning home later that year with a 3^rd Alexander Flores’ total knockout at his December 2018 headline in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Parker fought twice in the United States and trains regularly in Las Vegas, but returned home at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and remained on the training ground in preparation for this celebrated event. The show came just in time when local authorities announced another week-long blockade due to a recent outbreak of COVID.

Also on the card, the undefeated heavyweight Hemi Ahio (17-0, 12KOs) survived a knockdown in the fourth round to knock down and stop the 7’1 ”newsboy Julius Long in the 7th^º round of your main support. A left hook placed Long on his back at the end of the seventh round, with his corner literally throwing in the towel immediately after that.

The show also included John Parker, Joseph’s brother who scored a unanimous decision in four rounds against professional rookie Egelani Taito. David Nyika (1-0, 1KO), a 6’6 ”cruiserweight who knocked out Jesse Maio for 29 seconds (3-1, 1KO), also turned pro. Nyika will represent New Zealand at the late 2020 Tokyo Olympics later this summer.

Jake Donovan is a senior editor at BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox