Joseph Parker has beaten Junior Fa in a points decision at Auckland's Spark Arena this evening.
The clash was hyped to be the greatest boxing bout in New Zealand's history.
But in reality it was anything but.
The two fought a long-winded twelve rounds with few glimpses of action, rather spending the majority of the match entangled in one another's arms.
It had begun promisingly.
A left hand jab from Fa at the end of the first round staggered Parker, and for a moment it looked like an upset could be on the cards.
But Parker came out swinging in the second, sneaking through Fa's defences with a number of uppercuts and jabs.
There was more aggression in the third. Parker hit Fa with a fierce right hand and the two traded punches just before the bell.
But that aggression seemed to tire the two fighters, as they cautiously ducked and weaved through rounds four and five.
Fa came back to life in the sixth, landing several punches, however, it was not enough to sway Parker.
Parker countered in the following round, striking Fa with a big right underhand.
Both fighters appeared to tire in the later rounds and the shots became few and far between.
Fa received a cut just above his left eye in the ninth round after catching Parker’s flailing elbow, and while it bled, it did not hamper his vision.
While Fa did land a hard jab in the tenth, the fight appeared to be heading the distance.
That proved to be the case, and Parker was rewarded with the unanimous decision on the scorecard, due to his consistent hooks, jabs and body shots throughout.
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