Joe Joyce was too much The Juggernaut for Joseph Parker in Manchester

In a bout billed for the WBO interim heavyweight title with the winner theoretically next in line for Oleksandr Usyk, Joe Joyce (WBO #1) dominated and stopped former world heavyweight title-holder Joseph Parker (#2). The end came in the penultimate round when Joyce nailed Parker with a left hook that send him sprawling into the ropes. He got to his feet at “9,” but his eyes were glassy and the referee properly waived it off. The official time was 1:03 of round 11.

Joyce, who stands six-foot-six and weighed a career-high 271 ½ pounds, has the perfect nickname. He’s ponderously slow, but he is seemingly impervious to pain and he keeps plowing forward, gradually taking the starch out of his opponents. Parker had a few good moments – Joyce is vulnerable to an overhand right – but he looked fatigued even before he was hampered by a cut above his left eye in round seven.

The judges had Joyce ahead by margins of 2, 3, and 5 points through the 10 completed rounds with the “2-pointer” very generous to the Kiwi. It was the 14^th win by stoppage in 15 pro bouts for the undefeated Joyce, a former college cheerleader (!) who at age 37 needs to stay active. Parker, who hadn’t previously been stopped, falls to 31-3.

Other Bouts of Note

In a super featherweight match for a fringe 130-pound title, Anthony Cacace, a bearded southpaw from Belfast, Northern Ireland, won a split decision over Italy’s previously undefeated Michael Magnesi. Fighting most of the fight off his back foot, the five-foot-ten Cacace used his four-inch height advantage to good effect. The judges had it 117-111 and 116-112 for Belfast man with the dissenter scoring it 116-112 for Magnesi. The son-in-law of two-time world title challenger Silvio Branco, Magnesi was 21-0 heading in and had won eight straight inside the distance. Cacace, who was chalked a small favorite, improved to 20-1 (7).

In a domestic snoozer between two light-hitting middleweights, Nathan Heaney (16-0, 6 KOs) kept his unbeaten record unblemished with a unanimous technical decision over Jack Flatley (19-3-1). The bout came to a sudden conclusion in round five when an accidental clash of heads left Heaney with a deep gash over his right eye. The partial round was scored as a full round and Heaney prevailed on scores of 50-45 and 49-46 twice.

Also

Amanda Serrano W UD 10 Sarah Mahfoud (details here)

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE