Joseph Parker this morning produced some of the most thrilling power punching of his career, before a points defeat to Brit Dillian Whyte in London.
Out of the fight and listless for 10 rounds, after first being put on the canvas for the first time in his career with a headbutt, and then again in the ninth round from a huge left hook, Parker rebounded with a flurry that almost won him the fight.
The 26-year-old Samoan-Kiwi, who had looked exhausted, found the energy in the final round to drop Whyte with a right hook and was on the verge of a stunning knockout when the 12th round bell sounded, with a wobbly Whyte clinging to the ring rope to save from being KO'ed.
It was a stunning end for a range of reasons, with Parker finally showing the power and speed that had been missing throughout almost the entire fight, being deprived of a late win that in truth he didn't deserve.
Instead it was Whyte who asserted himself through the majority of the fight with Parker tiring noticeably in the middle rounds before igniting a furious comeback with the end in sight.
But it wasn't enough, with Whyte convincingly winning on points to extend his record to 24-1 while Parker suffered his second professional loss with a record that now stands at 24-2.
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