[Live commentary has concluded]
Heavyweight fight: Joseph Parker (26-2) v Shawndell Winters (13-2)
Result: Joseph Parker via TKO round 5
Wrap: Parker improves to 27-2 and scores his earliest finish since 2016. Parker happy with his performance overall: "A win is a win - I got a little bit excited after I hurt him and lost my way. I need to be more patient and pick my shots but happy with the win." The Kiwi says he wants to fight twice more in 2020 and has called out Dereck Chisora and Dillian Whyte.
Round 5: Parker back on the jab - he's looking a little lazy at the moment. Jab lands for Winters, Parker with a nice lead left hook backs Winters up. JP searching with the right but can't land big. JP lands a double jab as the fighters clinch. Winters lands a jab but JP nails Winters with two big right hands. Winters fights back with a right himself. JP lands a jab followed by a heavy right and a heavier left .... then another big right and Winters is down and out and the fight is waved off.
Round 4: Winters eyes look shot. Right uppercut lands for JP. Winters backing up. JP lands a body shot in the clinch then fires a big right hand that is parried. Jab lands for Winters. Parker lands a short right hook tghen a big left hand but Winters is still there. Winters lands in the clinch but Parker fires back with a double left hook that backs Winters up. Winters lands his best punch of the fight with a big right but JP is fine. JP has a cut under his right eye - looks bad. Winters lands a short left against the ropes. JP with a body punch but Winters replies with two big hooks. Newshub score - Winters 10-9.
Round 3: JP in complete control here but will want a stoppage. Winters lands a sharp jab but Parker replies with a big right to the temple. Winters clinches and referee seperates the fighters. Left hook lands for JP as does a very hard short right on an advancing Winters. Parker with a big right lands but Winters' chin is holding up. Another big right from JP but he can't connect. Parker leaning on Winters now. JP just so much bigger than Winters. Jab lands for JP as does a left hook. Right hand lands twice for JP and Winters is down. He's back up at eight as the round ends. Newshub score - Parker 10-8.
Round 2 - Body jab lands for Parker. Double jab lands for Parker as does a hook to the body. Winters throws a right that misses. Double jab lands again for Parker and again - he looks sharp. Winters lands a jab....Parker replies with a big right that backs Winters up. Hook to the body lands for JP but Winters lands a nice short left uppercut. Parker backs Winters up and lands a heavy right followed by a one-two to the body. Parker lands a chopping right hand over the top and a left hook as the round comes to an end. Newshub score - Parker 10-9.
Round 1 - Here we go. JP opens up with a triple jab - backing Winters up early. Winters throws a a big overhand that lands but JP blocks it. JP on the jab again and throws a lopping left hook that doesn't connect. Left hook, right body shot combo lands for JP as does a heavy right that is slightly parried. Left hook misses for Parker. The clinch and Parker lands some shots inside ... Parker lands a left hook and a straight right but Winters shakes it off. Newshub score - Parker 10-9.
2:13pm - There is a ton of pressure on Parker here .... a loss and his title ambitions are shot.
2:11pm - Former WBO champion Joseph Parker makes his way to the ring.
2:08pm - They're running a little behind schedule in Dallas but Winters about to make his ring walk.
2:03pm - Today would represent the lowest billing for Parker in five years. His fight with Winters fourth from the top of the card which is headlined by Mikey Garcia and Jesse Vargas ... two tremendous welterweights.
1:56pm - A win tonight for JP will all-but book the Kiwi a WBO eliminator against Oleksandr Usky later this year - potentially on the Joshua v Pulev card in June.
1:48pm - Okay - not too far away from Joe Parker's return to the ring. Ring walk scheduled for 2pm on the dot.
12:37pm - Trainer Kevin Barry gives a few thoughts on the pressure Parker is under in this fight.
12:32pm - David Higgins is in Dallas and has spoken this moring and how Joseph Parker is tracking for this fight with Shawndell Winters.
Welcome to live commentary of Joseph Parker's heavyweight clash with unheralded American Shawndell Winters from Dallas, Texas.
The former WBO champion will be looking for a highlight-reel victory against a 39-year-old opponent who has never beaten a ranked fighter 13 career victories.
The 6ft 2 Illinois native holds a 13-2 record as a pro with 12 of those wins coming via stoppage,
But this fight is all about Joseph Parker and whether or not he can make a big enough statement to earn himself a potential WBO title eliminator against Oleksandr Usyk later this year.
The Kiwi hasn't fought since a June 2019 win over Australian Alex Leapai in Rhode Island.
But with heavyweight boxing being as unpredictable as it is, he finds himself ranked second in the WBO and once again in the conversation for a title fight.
The 28-year-old must keep himself in the headlines in a division that has seen three title changes in the last seven months.
Pre-fight banter : Hearn believes Parker is on cusp of contention
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn says Kiwi boxer Joseph Parker is one moment away from being back in the conversation in the heavyweight division.
Parker, who held the WBO heavyweight title in 2018, has struggled for a big-named fight since his back-to-back losses to Anthony Joshua.
He was set to fight Brit Dereck Chisora, before having to pull out three weeks before the fight due to injury.
"It's been a frustrating period," Parker's promoter Hearn said.
"That Chisora pullout has been a kick in the nuts, I feel it was the perfect fight for him,"
But Hearn says Parker's merely a big performance away from being back in the title scope.
"He's in a great position," Hearn said.
"He just needs the momentum back, it just takes one knockout for people to say he's a threat to the division again.
"Because at the moment, he's just stepped off the radar a little bit because of the inactivity."
The 28-year-old is fighting little-known American Shawndell Winters on Sunday, March 1 and Hearn thinks it could be the start of momentum-building phase for Parker.
"I think it's a good fight for him against somebody who's going to try, we know in the heavyweight division and where he's placed in the WBO and if it becomes available then it will be Parker against [Oleksandr] Usyk for the world title."
Hearn understands the dangers of fighting somebody like Winters.
"Winters is a bit crazy, he's not the full ticket, he just wants to knock people out."
