There can be no arguments that Joseph Parker has finally settled his memorable rivalry with Derek Chisora. The New Zealander turned back the clock to his world title-winning days as he produced a busy performance that combined his boxing skills with his power. Parker managed to floor Chisora three times, but he couldn’t find the right shot to end matters within the distance, although he came awfully close.
Parker started quickest, and his pace hardly slowed as he let his hands go on all occasions as he found Chisora’s exposed target multiple times. The ropes saved Chisora in round four before being dropped in sessions seven and eight. Each time he was hurt, he rallied brilliantly and gave Parker some nervy moments as he debated whether to attack once more time.
At the end of 12 hard and memorable rounds, there was no doubt who the victor was, but the scorecards appeared close, and the knockdowns scored by Parker were vital in making the gap bigger. Parker promoter Eddie Hearn has teased more big fights for the former heavyweight champion in 2022, but Chisora’s route back to the top is complicated, and one must wonder whether that’s the last time we’ve seen one of British boxing’s biggest characters in the ring for the last time.
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