Joseph Parker heaps praise on Joe Joyce after KO loss
Britain's Joe Joyce walked through everything New Zealander Joseph Parker had to offer to knock out him out in the 11th round of a heavyweight thriller in Manchester on Saturday night,
Despite defeats to Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte, Joseph Parker told ID Boxing in the post-fight press conference that Joyce was his toughest challenge yet.
"At this stage of my career, Joe was the toughest challenge," the former WBO World champion stated. "As you guys saw tonight, the pressure that he put on, and every time I hit him he kept coming back, and we knew exactly what he was going to do, but, you know, I just… everything didn't work as I thought it would, but hey, it's boxing."
When asked to compare Joyce to his previous opponents, Parker shared his honest opinions, "He's very tough. Compared to other fighters, listen, you guys saw tonight, he put on a lot of pressure. So congratulations to him and he's one hell of a fighter."
The heavyweights went toe-to-toe in a back and forth contest before a potent short left hook landed flush on the chin of Parker staggering the 6'4" heavyweight backwards to the canvas.
WBO #1 Joe Joyce claimed the WBO interim heavyweight title with the impressive win and now has his eyes set on challenging unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in 2023.
The Briton's step up in class had been debated after 14 professional fights against lower-level opponents. He turned 37 this week having only turned pro when he was 31 after a late start to his amateur career.
But Joyce showed a granite chin to become the first man to stop Parker, a former world champion.
The Putney puncher praised his 15th opponent after the victory, "Joseph Parker… what a fighter and what a fight," he said.
"It was a tough fight and praise to Parker. I really enjoyed it and I had to dig deep to get through the rounds. I hit him with everything I've got, I tried it all and he was still coming forward.
"I managed to drop him at the end but it was hard work. Usyk let's get it on."
The fight took shape in the third round. Parker started well, using his jab and landed some heavy shots, but Joyce just kept coming forward.
He bloodied the nose of Parker in the second and the third exploded into relentless action, with both men trading punches.
Parker was rocked by a superb one-two from Joyce, seconds after the Brit had been tagged by a right hand. The Kiwi stayed on his feet, amazingly, and fought back as the ferocious head-to-head continued to the bell.
Joyce was hit again and again by Parker's big left, but stood firm each time, showing no sign he felt the force of his opponent's shots.
He responded to every one of Parker's blows with spiteful shots of his own, often big right hands or chopping short punches.
The Briton shrugged off the best Parker had to offer, hard left hooks in the fourth and a massive swinging right in the fifth.
Joyce, perhaps feeling he could withstand whatever Parker threw at him, suddenly picked up the pace in the sixth round, trapping Parker in the corner and unloading.
Parker defended himself in front of his corner and tried to slow Joyce with body shots. But it didn't stop the onslaught.
The Olympian bloodied Parker's nose again in the seventh before opening up a big cut above his right eye.
Parker stumbled backwards under the barrage and Joyce poured forward again, but the bell arrived just in time to save Andy Lee's student.
Into the eighth round and Parker's eye was clearly bothering him as he repeatedly touched it. The visiting fighter looked exhausted but finally found a hard left which casued a reaction from Joyce.
For the first time in almost 25 minutes Joyce staggered under the weight of the shot, but the success was short-lived as he came forward again, living up to his moniker, 'The Juggernaut'.
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 flooding forward again, Parker smashed him in the face with four short left hooks. No luck.
Joyce then came out swinging in the 11th and finally put his opponent down with a short but incrediby powerful left hook across the New Zealander's chin. Parker missed the count to bring to a close a remarkable battle, but he made it further than any other of Parker's KO victims. Only four opponents have ever managed to get past the sixth round with Joyce.
