Anthony Joshua. AJ was taken the distance for the first time in his professional life as he added yet another world heavyweight title to his unifying roll call of honours. Four down and one to go. After his unanimous points victory over the gallant WBO champion Joseph Parker, only Deontay Wilder’s WBC belt remains to be strapped around that muscular torso.
After his unanimous points victory over the gallant WBO champion Joseph Parker, only Deontay Wilder’s WBC belt remains to be strapped around that muscular torso.
The all-knock-out record came to a halt in his 21st fight but much of the credit for that goes to Parker, with only a modicum of blame for AJ.
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Joshua and Parker show respect for one another at the end of a tactical 12 rounds in Cardiff on Saturday night
 Joshua used Parker’s capacity for absorbing heavy punishment to his exercise his improving skills as well as his considerable power.
There was experience gained under the roof in Cardiff’s Principality Stadium which will be valuable when our WBA, IBF, IBO and now WBA ttlle holder goes after Wilder in his bid to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the world since Lennox Lewsi.
And that's the fight he is screaming out for next.
‘Let’s go Deontay Wilder,’ he bellowed into the microphone. And the 80,000 rose as one man to roar their belief when he told the American who choose to watch in a New York TV studio rather than travel here: ‘Come to London and I’ll knock you spark out.’
Never mind that Parker avoided such a fate. Joshua is an honest man and he was not over-excited by his performance. But he rightly pointed out that he used his left jab to better effect than ever before.
That jolting weapon is now established as the platform for further development. He is still a relative novice, after all.
Parker, for all his courage, was never going to pull off either of his two plans of action – an early knock out or a late win over a fading Joshua.
The aspersions cast on Joshua’s chin and stamina were roundly refuted as he dominated the ring and pounded home the jab, along with a few hefty hooks and uppercuts for meaty measure.
‘It’s only about knock-outs,’ he told the congregation in the Principality. ‘This was a boxing match.’
So it was. And he won it by two official votes of 118-112, one of 119-111.
My card was only marginally less generous.
Job done. Now for history, destiny, ultimate glory.
When the crowd were asked to produce noise for the sound-track of a forthcoming boxing movie, the boos for Wilder were as deafening as the cheers for Leonard.
A taste of things to come whenever the fight for the undisputed heavyweight crown happens.
There were jeers for real – no doubt enhanced by the spy-poisoning scandal – when Russian heavyweight Alexander Povetkin came to the ring to face David Price.
Povetkin was trying to secure a place as mandatory challenger for one of Joshua’s belts, Price looking for a miracle to bring him back for some desperate knock-outs and steal that position.
The brought the stadium to boiling point as they exchanged huge knock downs. Sadly, brutally, Price fell horribly victim to the decisive blows.
A huge right from the Russian stood him motionless and out on his feet, arms hanging slack at his side. The ensuing right into his defenceless chin sent Price crashing backwards, his head bouncing twice on the canvas.
There were some anxious moments before he was revived.
Parker fails to land with another right hook as Joshua continues to display a superior defensive game to his opponent
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Parker lands a left hook on Joshua but leaves the British heavyweight champion unfazed as the fight continues on Saturday
While it was not an auspicious omen for a big British night of heavyweight boxing, it set the scene dramatically for the main event. As one career looked to have reached its end, Joshua was primed to ascend closer to the summit of the ring’s marquee division.
Parker preceded Joshua into the cauldron, a potentially daunting occasion for which he had prepared by scouting out the ring and the arena the night before.
He was accompanied on that longish ring walk by his Haka performers and New Zealand and Samoan flag-bearers. There were fireworks before the fight between these two big punchers. Joshua made the journey alone, through flames and thunderous sound, a god in his pure white robe.
Oh, Anthony Joshua they sang. Let’s go, Anthony Joshua. The expectation was that Parker would use his speed to mount an early assault. Either that or he might freeze on the vast stage. It was the former. Joshua was able to neutralise him, commanding the centre of the ring. Then land the first hefty hooks of the night with both hands.
Joshua had promised to use his improving boxing skills and he was good as his word in these early stages. He was quartering the ring and measuring his man and marginally outscoring Parker in the second.
Joshua is forced to backtrack to the ropes as Parker comes out swinging in the sixth round as he grows in confidence
Match referee Giuseppe Quartarone attempts to split Joshua and Parker after the pair get tangled together at the ropes
Joshua risks disqualification as he attempts a huge right uppercut just after the bell with the referee struggling to stop them
Joshua receives a dressing down from the referee after he comes close to landing a huge right uppercut after the bell
Parker’s renowned chin was more evident than his speed in the third. While he found it difficult to nip in close to Joshua, he had to ride not only a succession of ramrod jabs but also withstand one shuddering burst of lefts and rights.
Parker was enjoying some success with his sharp left hooks but the sheer size and power of Joshua was keeping him mostly on the retreat and he was wobbled a little again.
The WBO title holder was keeping himself in the rounds but having difficulty doing enough to win them. He did, however, appear to edge the fifth when he broke past the AJ jab to land a couple of good rights.
Suitably encouraged, Parker went on all-out attack at the start of the sixth and drove Joshua around the ring with a series of rights. When Joshua landed a heavy right himself the Kiwi absorbed the shock, true to his resilient reputation.
Plan B for team Parker, if he could not land an early knockout, was to test Joshua’s allegedly suspect stamina deep into the fight. Joshua was warned by referee Giuseppe Quartarone for throwing a huge right uppercut on the break.
Joshua looked closest to getting the otherwise elusive knockout after coming out fighting in the fight's final round
Joshua and Parker meet in the centre of the ring as the bell sounds out for the 12th and final time to bring the fight to an end
The punch was reminiscent of the one which undid Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley but fortunately it did not have the same effect. Had it done so there might have the risk of a disqualification.
Parker was doing his best to drag Joshua into a brawl. AJ was tempted but held his temper and picked off the his opponent with a sizeable left at close quarters. This time Parker staggered but again he took a punch which might have finished many another heavyweight.
We were in the rounds in which Joshua had predicted a knockout victory, but his rhythm was being interrupted by the tape on his glove coming loose. That made for a messier round and Parker may have edged it with a couple of right-hand sorties.
Joshua reasserted himself with three big lefts which reddened Parker’s right eye. But once again he was having trouble putting his man away.
Parker had made real fight of it against size and odds but there was still no sign of the knockout he needed when decisively behind on the score cards. And a couple of late lefts from Joshua took the penultimate round away from him.
There was no sign of Joshua running out of steam. So that question appeared to have been answered. But come the final bell Parker had still never been put down in his career. Joshua went for that scalp in the last but the knock-out was not to be and the reception from the crowd was mixed.
Joshua was awarded the fight by unanimous decision and celebrated as his arm was raised by the night's referee
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