Great crowd, the corporate seats at ringside are full with the Auckland bourgeoisie out to watch the latest edition of New Zealand’s heavyweight hopefuls in Joseph Parker.
Parker at 22 years of age and Williams twenty years his senior at 42 years of age has the youthful zeal and fitness firmly on his side.
Parker sporting a record 10 (KO 9) – 0 and Williams at 36 (19)-13-2 has his comparative trainer wheels on in terms of experience, however experience won’t be the defining factor in this fight.
Parker’s youth and volume punching should be the dividing line that will ultimately get him over the line, his 5 inch height advantage over the 5 ft. 11 Williams will present all sorts of problems for the durable but aged warrior.
Many pundits are calling an early end to fight via a Parker KO. Williams has a chin on him, he’s going nowhere fast. Expect this fight to go into the mid to the latter rounds if not the distance based both on the experience of the Bahamian, and the sheer dogmatic nature that has only seen him stopped once in his career – that stoppage caused by a burst ear drum. Last interview I heard with Williams he belligerently dismissed the notion of being stopped by Parker.
At stake is the regional Oriental Pacific WBO Heavyweight belt.
Ring walk – Joseph Parker looks in outstanding condition. Sherman Williams is not in the same svelte ascetic shape as Parker and the Monika ‘The Tank’ explains well his body type, short, squat, thickset and not much of a neck to speak of.
Good stare-down from both fighters.
Round 1:
Parker comes out to mid-ring, Parker jabbing, tentative, Parker goes down stairs with a jab. Parker looks quick, very quick. Parker pawing with his jab. Parker looks like he’s shopping with the jab to send the right down the chute. Williams sends an ineffectual jab to Parkers midriff. Parker outworking Williams but nothing telling landing, and in writing that he lands a short right hand that has nil effect on the Bahamian.
10 – 9 Parker – busier.
Round 2:
Parker waiving and pawing with his left in looking to set up the right. He may need to put some mustard on the jab. Parker lands a right hand. Williams bull rushes Parker, lands a right that appears to get Parkers attention. Was he momentarily shook up? Parker back to moving, nice double up on his jab. Parker with a nice uppercut, followed by a right hand. Both men have had their moments but Parker busier. Parker pops a right hand behind Williams ear.
10 – 9 Parker – busier, more industrious.
Round 3:
Parker feeling out Williams with the jab. Uppercut, overhand right connects from Parker. Williams lets go with a counter left that misses. Williams goes downstairs and upstairs with a left, nice. Williams looking to counter, Parker letting his hands go, and crowd gets excited, nothing meaningful. Williams misses big with a Hale Mary of a right hand that had home run written all over it. Unfortunately for him it was short by six inches or more.
10 – 9 Parker – more industrious.
Round 4:
Parker misses with a right hand, doubles up beautifully with a right hand to the body, then upstairs to the head. Williams loads up the right hand, misses. Big body shot, it may have hurt Williams, he buckled over. He looks to have recovered. Williams looking for the big overhand right. Nice 1-2 down the chute by Parker, Parker backing Williams into the ropes looking to unload, Parker holds on nullifying the attack. Parker looks to be stinging Williams with his shots. Williams is a one helluva durable chap.
10 – 9 Parker – simply doing more.
Round 5:
Technically Parker looks great. Punching nice and straight, creating leverage, the kid is on point…at this point. Parker downstairs with a right to the body. Parker trying to work the air out of Williams tires with shots to the midriff. Sherman back with a body shot of his own. Sherman pulled up for a shot below the belt, doesn’t appear to have worried Parker in any stretch. Parker loads up a right hand, then an uppercut. Parker looking to put more mustard on his punches. Tank lets go with a big overhand right that misses.
10 – 9 Parker – more of the same.
Round 6:
Parker pawing with his jab. Williams jabs to Parkers body. Straight right hand lands from Williams. Parker pushing in, touching Williams up and getting out. Parker with a combination, looks to have got Williams attention. Williams goes downstairs to the body with a couple of shots. Williams simply unable to bridge the gap between the two and with that written Williams back Parker into the corner and connects with an overhand right, looks like that shot hurt Parker, definitely got his attention. Williams trying to come on in pressing the action.
10 – 10 – hard to differentiate between the two. Both had their moments.
Round 7:
Parker working off the jab, Williams replies in kind with a couple of his own. Parker a right hand on the top of Williams head. Parker not sustaining his attack. He could be a little short breathed. Parker staying on the outside. Uneventful round.
10 – 9 – Parker controlled the action.
Round 8:
Parker pawing with the jab, not sitting on it. Parker lands a great right to the body. Williams felt that shot. Parker coming on, Williams backing up. Parker controlling proceedings. Williams misses with a big right hand by at least 8 inches. Parker controlling the real estate well, rendering Williams ineffectual. Not making for a good fight but Parker showing good boxing wherewithal. Nice 1-2 by Parker, Williams wears it well.
10 – 9 Parker – far more industrious.
Round 9:
Nice 1-2 by Parker. Parker down stairs then back upstairs, good skill. Tank hangs on. Parker looking to pressure Tank. Parker tries another 1-2, Williams wearing them well. The tank looks to be empty on The Tank, is he ready to go, he’s hanging tough. Parker bullying the Bahamian.
10 – 9 Parker – simply outworking Williams.
Round 10:
Parker lands a great right hand, doesn’t budge Williams an inch. Parkers hand speed is sharp, very, very sharp. Wouldn’t be many heavies in the world with hands as quick as Parker. Has Williams got a run left in him. Williams showboating, laying down the slowest Ali Shuffle you’ll ever see, then a half backed Sugar Ray Leonard bolo…that he doesn’t throw. Parker staying on the outside. Parker controlling the ring real estate, good left hand landed by Williams but far to little to late. Fight will go the distance.
Probable decision – Parker by a shutout. Williams raising his hands as if he won. Wishful thinking at its most grandiose. Parker looked composed, calm and in control with Williams having some sporadic moments. Be good to see Parker fighting taller fighters in his development given the height of the K-Bros, Wilder, Fury, Joshua etc.
Decision in – Parker by unanimous decision.
Parker and Williams are talking mid-ring. It sounds as if Williams is telling Parker he hurt him 4 times. Parker looking at him with an incredulous look on his face.
Parker post fight talk – ‘I came here to knock him out…’ Sherman interjects, telling the crowd he thinks he won, that he hurt him ‘four times with overhand right’ and that he wants to do it again. Parker ever the gentleman tries to be the diplomat as Williams agitates for a rematch. Parker won the fight but Williams hitting a shutout in the post-fight banter.
Kevin Barry, coach of Parker – ‘you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to see who won this fight’ and that’s entirely correct.
Parker moving on to bigger and better things.
