Joseph Parker was knocked out by Joe Joyce in the 11th round of Saturday's clash in Manchester, with the Londoner becoming WBO interim heavyweight champion; Parker is now eyeing a rematch against Dillian Whyte following their thrilling contest in 2018.
Monday 26 September 2022 12:39, UK
Joseph Parker has unfinished business with Dillian Whyte as he seeks a swift return to the ring following his defeat to Joe Joyce on Saturday night.
Parker suffered the first stoppage of his career as he was undone by a huge left hook from Joyce to end the contest in the 11th round in Manchester.
The victory earned Joyce the WBO interim heavyweight title as well as putting him in pole position to challenge world champion Oleksandr Usyk.
"He was the better man, I would love the opportunity to fight him again but I have to work my way back," Parker told iD Boxing. "I was happy to be involved in a great fight and congratulations to Joe Joyce.
"When you do watch Joe Joyce his jab, his punches don't seem the fastest, but they're very heavy and his jab was deceptive and quite quick, quicker than I thought. Maybe I should have had head movement and done other things better."
Joyce yet again proved a tough opponent to break down as his renowned chin stood firm in the face of some strong early rounds for Parker.
The Londoner rarely looked like slowing and took full control over the second half of the fight as he wore Parker down before landing the decisive blow to send the former world champion to the canvas and force the referee to bring things to a halt.
"I was boxing really the best I could off the pressure he put on, the early rounds were going okay," said Parker. "When it hit the sixth everything turned there, obviously I got caught by a good shot, it happens.
"I felt pretty good, the training camp was great, I felt good and there are no excuses really. It means I have to go back and keep learning and keep working.
"I landed a good shot and he kept coming forward like nothing happened, he can take a punch. He gave a lot of punches back and kept the pressure on."
Parker, who has previously been in the ring with the likes of Anthony Joshua, Andy Ruiz Jr and Whyte, noted that Joyce is up there with the best he has ever faced.
"Joe Joyce in terms of what he showed last night is right at the top, the pressure, the punches, the determination to keep pushing," he explained.
The 30-year-old suffered a unanimous decision defeat to Whyte back in 2018 having come close to forcing a stoppage when he dropped his opponent in the final round. Whoever the opponent, Parker is keen to stay active.
"I think as a fighter and I take myself as an example, the busier I am with fights the better I get and when you have a long time away from fighting you sort of lose touch," he said. "I'd like to fight a soon as I can.
"I'll go home, see my wife and kids, spend some quality time and then come back and see what's next.
"I'd love to fight Dillian Whyte. If he's free and available and there's nothing locked in for him I think it would be a great fight.
"He's coming off a loss, I'm coming off a loss, if we can make it happen it would be great because the first fight was a close fight."
