Joseph Parker went back to basics to claim WBO heavyweight title

Ruiz had Parker's measure for a lot of the fight (Photosport image)
Ruiz had Parker's measure for a lot of the fight (Photosport image)

As the smoke cleared over Vector Arena after Joseph Parker's WBO heavyweight title win, Parker gave opponent Andy Ruiz full credit for a fight that many may argue, he should have won.

It was a very tight bout from the first bell and half way through the fight it looked as if the title was slipping away from Parker.

"It was a very close [fight] and [Ruiz] brought his A game, we knew he was going to bring his A game," Parker said in the post-fight press conference.

"He didn't surprise me, we knew he was going to come strong. Kev [Barry] said don't underestimate him from what he looks like. He's a tough tough fighter and it could have gone either way but we pulled it off in the end."

Despite the fight going very much against the home-town favourite in the first few rounds, Parker said when he went back to basics and back to the plan set out by his camp, he began to find confidence.

"I felt when I was using my jab, everything flowed better.

"When I didn't use it, it allowed him to close the gap and throw his punches. When I listened to the instructions and followed them, everything went well."

He also said he wouldn't stop at the WBO title.

"This is a dream come true but this is just the start."

"Now that we won this, we're going to dominate the heavyweight division, that’s our goal. The goal is now to win, keep winning, dominate and then unify those belts. We have a great team and we can do it."

The fight came down to the smallest of margins with Parker emerging victorious by one point across two judges.

Newshub.