Former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker 30-2 (21) dropped Derek ‘War’ Chisora 32-12 (23) three times but had to settle for a unanimous decision victory at the AO Arena in Manchester, England on Saturday night.
The bout was an all-out war with Kiwi Parker, 29, dominating the exchanges but failing to put Chisora away for good.
The 37-year-old Chisora was on the wrong end of the punches for the first three rounds before being dropped in the fourth. The London hardman came back in the fifth but Parker sent him to the deck again during the seventh and eighth frames.
The right uppercut was a particularly potent weapon for Parker, but no matter what he hit Chisora with he wouldn’t stay down.
When the dust settled all three judges awarded the bout to Parker although the scorecards were surprisingly close. Judge Michael Alexander had it 114-112, judge Ingo Barrabas saw it 115-111, while judge Giustino Di Giovanni turned in a card of 115-110.
The bout was a rematch of the May fight that Parker won by split decision.
“He was one tough guy,” Parker admitted after the fight. “Honestly, it just felt like a continuation from the first fight. He never stopped coming until the end. But we practiced and practiced and practiced in the gym that jab, uppercut, but didn’t finish it with the hook, but what a Christmas present.”
Parker started much faster than he did in the first fight when he was dropped in the opening seconds of the bout. This time he controlled centre ring and kept Chisora at range.
Parker came in at a career-high 251-pounds for the fight, 10-pounds heavier than their first clash.
“I felt a lot stronger than in the first fight,” he said. “It was important to start strong and not be negative from the beginning. So I followed the game plan as best I came, but as you can see there’s still a lot of improvements to be made, just a continuation of working hard with [trainer] Andy [Lee] after this.”
Parker admitted he should have been more patient when he had Chisora hurt.
“I just rushed it,” the WBO number two, WBC number four and IBF number four ranked contender said. “I didn’t sit down on my punches properly and time him. I just got too excited. But again, like I said there is a lot of practice to be done after this, so ready for the next camp.”
After 24 rounds in the ring with Chisora, Parker said he has nothing but respect for him.
“I’m telling you, he’s a credit to the sport of boxing,” he said. “Very entertaining. As you can see, the crowd went mental when he walked out. They all came to support him. So I just want to say how grateful I am to be here in the UK. I’m going to be spending Christmas and New Years here before heading back to New Zealand, but I’m sending my love to the Parker family back home.”
Trainer Andy Lee praised his pupil for his performance, but admitted they still had things to work on.
“I think it’s the perfect measuring stick,” Lee said. “You could see the improvements from the first fight. He managed the fight perfectly.
“There are always mistakes. But that’s a good thing because we can work on them. I’m so proud of him. He has dedicated himself like he has never done before and I think you can see that in his performance.”
