Parker Defeats Zhilei, Surviving Two Knockdowns!

On March 8th, in the undercard of the clash between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou, a fight for the "interim" WBO heavyweight title took place between New Zealand's Joseph Parker (35-3, 23 KOs) and China's Zhang Zhilei (26-2, 21 KOs).

The confrontation ended with a decision by the judges: 113-113, 114-112, and 115-111 in favor of Joseph Parker. The New Zealander was knocked down twice during the fight.

Last year, Parker won four times, including outboxing Deontay Wilder. Zhilei fought twice – both times winning early against Joe Joyce.

Now Joseph is the "interim" WBO champion and has the right to challenge the winner of the Usyk-Fury pair.