Newstalk ZB's D'Arcy Waldegrave and the NZ Herald's Bonnie Jansen get together to preview the weekend's sport. Video / NZ Herald / Photosport
Joseph Parker’s journey back to the top of the mountain in heavyweight boxing continues.
With a majority decision win over heavy-handed foe Zhilei Zhang in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, Parker claimed the WBO interim world heavyweight championship and moved one step closer to earning another opportunity at the title proper.
That journey will, however, require him to beat Zhang again.
The 40-year-old Chinese fighter, who entered the contest with the belt in his possession, had a rematch clause in his contract and in his post-fight interview Parker was clear that the rematch would be next for him.
Parker showed great resilience in the bout, being knocked down in rounds three and eight by Zhang - who has 21 of his 26 wins by knockout - but recovering well both times. Zhang lacked urgency in those rounds, and held back from trying to get Parker out of there when he had the former heavyweight champion hurt.
For the most part, Parker outworked Zhang. It was a true display of two different approaches to the sport; Parker staying active, moving in and out, mixing up his targets and picking the times to throw with power well, while Zhang seemed to be looking for the knockout shot for the whole fight and was clearly fatiguing in the late rounds.
Parker finished significantly better than Zhang, ultimately earning the nod from two of the three judges with scores of 115-111 and 114-112 in his favour. The third judge ruled it a 113-113 draw, Zhang benefitting from two 10-8 rounds.
It was just the second loss of Zhang’s career, while Parker posted his 35th win in 38 professional bouts.
While Parker put on an impressive performance to outbox Zhang, former unified world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua stole the show in the main event against former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
Anthony Joshua walks away after knocking Francis Ngannou out. Photo / Getty Images
Joshua annihilated Ngannou in two rounds, knocking the Cameroonian down in both rounds, before sending Ngannou to the canvas for good with an absolute hammer of a right hand.
It was a fight that came together after Ngannou took WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury to a split decision last October, but ended with a shot from Joshua thrown in anger and leaving Ngannou flat on his back.
The win sees Joshua join Parker in the list of heavyweights biding their time before a world title shot becomes available.
With Fury set to meet Oleksander Usyk in May to find the first undisputed champion of the division since Lennox Lewis in 2000, it is expected there will be rematch clauses involved in that bout that could tie the titles up for a while yet.
Time will tell how the division shakes out over the coming months, but both Parker and Joshua have placed themselves well in the conversation for a shot at the throne.
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.
