Parker grinds out gusty win over Zhang

Joseph Lupesoliai La’auli Parker’s stellar run in the ring has continued with a hard fought majority decision win over Chinese heavyweight Zhilei Zhang.

Despite being knocked down twice, Parker’s fight IQ, relentlesss jab and fitness saw him triumph to claim the interim WBO heavyweight title. It was Parker’s third fight in 20 weeks and takes his career record to 35-3.

“Thank you to my team, this is a great win, I just feel like we are on the up now,” Parker said his team kept him composed in the corner after being knocked down on two occasions.

“Andy just told me to follow the plan.”

The win marks Parker’s fifth in a row after suffering a loss at the hands of Joe Joyce in 2022. He’s now rebounded with two knockout wins before the biggest victory of his career over Deontay Wilder back in December.

“It’s an incredible feeling coming back from that loss and now look where we are.”

Parker’s trainer Andy Lee said that this is just the beginning, and Parker has already lined up his next bout, a rematch with Big Bang.

“I’m fighting Zhang again, we are doing it again.”

Parker looked calm and collected a he strolled to the ring in Riyadh while Zhang “Big Bang” came out to Queen’s We Will Rock You. But it was timid first round by both men, Parker looked to gauge his southpaw opponent.

Parker upped the ante in the third, finding Zhang’s body with some powerful shots, but Zhang landed a crisp straight left, sitting Parker on the canvas. He bounced back up but Zhang followed up with a flurry to Parker’s head to claim the fight’s first 10-8 round.

However, Parker recovered brilliantly l in the fourth, managing to find some solid overhand rights, then began to work the body and was spoken to by the referee for potential low blows.

The action slowed slightly in the fifth, Parker managing to do enough to take it after again peppering Zhang’s mid-section. Parker was landing at 50 percent midway through the bout, again the busier boxer in the sixth. He was looking more comfortable and dictate the fight with Zhang’s output slowing, Parker claiming his fourth round on the trot.

A thunderous right hand rocked Zhang in the seventh, however Parker then caught one behind the ear and was forced to take a knee, conceding a second 10-8 round.

Round nine saw a close back and forth, Parker edging it through activity. His superior fitness came to the fore in the later rounds, throwing a number of flurries as Zhang struggled to keep pace.

Having dragged Zhang into deep waters, Parker floated effortlessly around the ring dominating with forward pressure in the final two rounds.

Zhang didn’t land a single punch in the final round, as Parker finished strong but couldn’t find a finishing blow, Zhang’s granite chin held up to the onslaught with the fight to be decided by the judges scorecards.

They saw it 113-113, 114-112, 115-111, giving Parker the win by majority decision. The contract between the two has stipulated a rematch for the WBO Interim Heavyweight title, which Parker confirmed in the post fight interviews.

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