In the Main Event in Cardiff tonight, Anthony Joshua 20-0 (20 Ko's) unified four of the five recognised heavyweight championship belts with a unanimous decision over former WBO champion Joseph Parker 24-0 (18 Ko's) in front of 80,000 paying fans at the City's Principality Stadium.. Parker stood by his word and fought with effective aggression through most of the fight, but found himself second best to the composed, clinical Londoner, who controlled the tempo of the fight with calculated tactics.. Parker attempted numerous times to fight in close but was prevented by some horrendous refereeing by Giuseppe Quartarone, who regardless of the fighters willingness to trade, continually broke up the fluid action.. Joshua began to push Joseph onto the back foot in the middle of the fight, a position the New Zealander is rarely forced to adopt, yet didn't rush in or overcommit in a performance that remains one of the most controlled I've seen from Joshua throughout his whole career.. Parker was competitive until the final bell but hadn't done enough to steal the spoils on the night.. The fight wasn't the most attractive to witness, with very few clean punches landing throughout its entirety, but the importance of the victory made the event extra special..
Joshua won by scores of 118-110... 118-110... 119-109...
Following the bout Anthony made it clear that his intentions are to completely unify, stressing that Wilder is whom he would prefer to fight next.. Eddie Hearn however expressed concerns that the WBC champion truly doesn't want the fight and has never ever once initiated negotiations with Matchroom or Joshua to discuss a unification meeting between the two.. Anthony Joshua is now universally recognised as the IBF.. WBA.. WBO and IBO World heavyweight Champion.. If Deontay Wilder had solid intentions on trying to make this epic match happen, he would have made the effort to at least attend the bout in a business capacity to break bread with those capable of making it happen..
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