Joseph Parker, an ex-world champion and former opponent of Anthony Joshua, was happy to share his immediate reaction to the Brit’s sixth-round knockout victory over Jake Paul.
Their heavyweight encounter took place in the small hours of this morning, with the pair headlining a largely lacklustre event at the Kaseya Center, Miami.
In reality, though, the internet personality, who spent much of their fight dancing around the ring, would often drop to the canvas in a bid to avoid any sustained onslaughts from Joshua.
Due to the American’s understandable lack of willingness to engage with his heavier, and far more experienced, opponent, ‘AJ’ was ultimately left struggling to pin him down.
But while it was not quite the manner in which many expected their contest to unfold, the outcome – a Joshua win inside the distance – nonetheless came as little surprise.
Among the ringside contingent of familiar faces, meanwhile, was Parker, who lost a wide unanimous decision to Joshua in 2018.
He, like many others, believed that it was only a matter of time before Joshua’s sheer physical presence, and superior boxing IQ, would prove too much for Paul.
In a brief interview with FightHype, though, Parker admits that he had anticipated ‘AJ’ to take care of business in quicker fashion, rather than being compelled to stalk his prey.
“He did what he had to do. He went out there, took his time, chased him [Paul] down and [unloaded punches] – and got the knockout.
“It’s what we were expecting. I thought it would be earlier but he got the job done, so congratulations to Joshua.”
