Zach Parker expressed his frustration after feeling unjustly defeated by Joshua Buatsi in a light-heavyweight bout in Manchester. Parker, outclassing his opponent, controlled the fight, causing Buatsi to struggle with his tactics and resort to chasing Parker while being constantly thwarted by his opponent’s defensive maneuvers.
Although Buatsi showed improvement in the middle rounds, Parker was the clear victor in the 10-round contest. Surprisingly, the judges saw it differently, with one scoring it a draw and the other two giving Buatsi the narrow edge by two points, leaving Parker visibly upset.
Parker, who is a father and expecting another child, expressed his disappointment, stating, “I won that fight easily. I should be changing my daughter’s life, and my unborn baby’s life, with victories like that.” He believed he dominated almost every round and deserved the championship title for his performance.
Buatsi, on the other hand, bounced back from his previous defeat by Callum Smith and criticized Parker’s defensive strategy during the match. He emphasized the importance of winning regardless of the performance quality and hinted at targeting the winner of Anthony Yarde’s upcoming world title fight for his next challenge.
In another controversial decision that night, Liam Cameron was declared the winner over Troy Jones despite Jones displaying dominance throughout significant parts of the fight. Eddie Hearn, meanwhile, discussed potential dates for Anthony Joshua’s return to the ring, suggesting he could fight on an undercard either in California on December 13 or in Riyadh on December 27. Hearn also mentioned the possibility of Joshua facing Jake Paul before Christmas as an alternative opponent due to Gervonta Davis facing legal issues.