Anthony Joshua calls out Deontay Wilder after breezing past Joseph Parker to unify titles in Cardiff
Joshua adds Parker’s WBO heavyweight title to his IBF and WBA belts with a unanimous points decision over the New Zealander
Joshua added Parker’s World Boxing Organisation heavyweight title to his International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Association belts with a unanimous points decision over the New Zealander after being taken to 12 rounds for the first time in his unbeaten 21-fight professional career.
“I want Wilder ... Get him in the ring and I’ll knock him spark out,” Britain’s Joshua said in the ring immediately after judges had scored the fight 118-110, 118-110, 119-109 in his favour.
But the London 2012 Olympic champion was in more considered mood at the post-fight press conference.
“2018 was always a time to capture all the belts,” said Joshua, flanked by promoter Eddie Hearn and trainer Rob McCracken. “We are one away now.
“In my eyes, it’s not time to sit back and enjoy the ride.”
Joshua refused to rise to Wilder’s comments, including a previous remark when the American said he wanted a “body” on his record.
“I’m not into the business of hype, hype, talk, talk. I’d love to maybe go to America with Eddie and Rob and look at the landscape and see how serious they are, and deal with this behind closed doors.”
Hearn added: “I think it has to happen in 2018 otherwise we are going to hit some major problems with the politics and the mandatories (mandatory defences of the various belts).
“But they are so erratic and unpredictable, I don’t know what to believe.”
Meanwhile a gracious Parker had no complaints after his first defeat in 25 bouts as a professional.
“We enjoyed being here, he (Joshua) deserved to win. ”We’re still young, we’ll be back, we’ll be champion again,“ added the 26-year-old.
Parker and his camp were frustrated by the way Italian referee Giuseppe Quartarone repeatedly intervened to stop any close-quarter work developing between the two boxers.
“We’re not blaming the ref (for the defeat) but he couldn’t really speak English,” said Parker. “I wanted to work on the inside more.”
Parker’s trainer, Kevin Barry, agreed. “Obviously when one guy (Parker) has got a 76-inch reach and the other guy has got 84 or 85, it’s important when we do close the distance so that we are able to work,” he said.
“Unfortunately for us, the referee just didn’t allow us to do that.
“I knew he was from Italy but I obviously expected we would have a guy who could communicate with the two participants fighting.”
Butt Joshua’s trainer McCracken countered: “When he explained the rules for two minutes he spoke English.”
Barry, however, would not blame the referee for Parker’s defeat. “I was quite impressed with a lot of things Joshua did, he held his hands better and was quite hard to hit,” Barry said.
Meanwhile David Higgins, Parker’s promoter, said there was plenty more to come from his man.
“I saw the look in Joseph’s eyes, this has made him hungrier,” Higgins insisted.