Joseph Parker kicked the Mikey Garcia Vs Jessie Vargas undercard off in style, dropping a game Shawndell Winters in the third round and knocking him out in the fifth.
Parker didn’t have it all his own way in the fight and Winters was competitive on the inside landing plenty of big shots on Parker. Winters was coming of two surprise stoppages in his last two fights and the veteran Winters had 12 knockouts from 13 wins having started late as a pro at 34.
The 39 year old Winters was fighting the best opponent of his life and gave a good account of himself but it was Parker who landed the bigger shots and getting the knockout in the fifth with a big right hand.
Parker belongs at the very top of the sport having beaten the likes of Carlos Taken, Andy Ruiz, Hughie Fury and going to distance with both Dillian Whyte and Anthony Joshua. Tyson Fury’s cut man and best in the business Stitch Duran was in the corner for Parker last night and it is no secret that Parker and Fury are friends.
“A win’s a win. I got a good win. I’ll take the win,” Parker said. “I’ll celebrate and leave it up to Eddie (Matchroom) and the team to see what’s next. I have to work on being a little more patient. I’m excited to be back in the ring. I want to keep busy. Hopefully, two more fights this year and finish off with a bang.”
Spider Bite Derailed Parker
Parker was scheduled to fight Derek Chisora in October but had to pull out when he was completely drained by a spider bite in his native New Zealand.
He had to pull out of the fight and he needed to use this Winters fight to get him back on the map.
Parker Vs Chisora
It looks like a lot of the top names in the division are currently tied up so Parker will be anxious to keep busy in 2020 although he knows everyone appears to be tied up.
Veteran Chisora looks like he could be in line to face Usyk but if that falls through for whatever reason, we could see Parker in there with Chisora before too long.
Parker Vs Whyte
Parker lost a very close decision to Dillian Whyte in July of 2018, nearly stopping him in the later rounds. A rematch between these two could also be on the cards although Whyte has been mandatory challenger for the WBC belt for a long time.
Parker Vs Usyk
Oleksandr Usyk Is yet to make his mark on the Heavyweight division but is set to fight Derek chisora in the near future. This could be a great fight for Parker towards the end of the year and if both men have good fights in the mean time, this is a fight we could definitely see going forward.
This interview with Fighthub Tv shows how he wants fights with Chisora and Usyk or the winner of those two. Parker believes his 1 punch power can knock any heavyweight out and we agree that he looked very solid tonight.