Buatsi edges out Parker in contentious British light-heavyweight showdown.
Joshua Buatsi claimed victory over Zach Parker in their highly anticipated battle, but not everyone is convinced. The judges' decision of 96-94 in favour of Buatsi has sparked outrage among the crowd and many observers, with a majority believing that Parker outboxed his opponent to secure the win.
Parker himself was furious with the outcome, adamant that he should have been declared the champion. "I won that fight easy," he said. "I think every single person at ringside said I won it." The Olympic bronze medallist felt he had done enough to take home the title, particularly in the later rounds where Parker appeared comfortable and Buatsi struggled to land clean shots.
Buatsi, however, remained calm and collected after his first defeat. "You can't be on the floor six times and claim you won," he said. The British light-heavyweight champion downplayed any concerns about his performance, stating that champions win regardless of how it comes. Buatsi's promoter Frank Warren may need to consider whether a rematch is worth the hassle, given the lack of excitement produced by the fight.
The bout was marred by excessive holding throughout, which on several occasions resulted in Parker dropping from the clinches to the canvas. Both fighters felt that their opponent should have been penalised for this tactic, and the referee's failure to intervene sparked debate among fans. As a result, many are calling for a rematch, but it remains to be seen whether Buatsi will take on the challenge once again.
For now, Buatsi has moved his record to 20-1, while Parker falls to 27-4. The question now is what's next for each fighter, and whether they'll be able to put behind the controversy of this fight and move forward with renewed focus and determination.
Joshua Buatsi claimed victory over Zach Parker in their highly anticipated battle, but not everyone is convinced. The judges' decision of 96-94 in favour of Buatsi has sparked outrage among the crowd and many observers, with a majority believing that Parker outboxed his opponent to secure the win.
Parker himself was furious with the outcome, adamant that he should have been declared the champion. "I won that fight easy," he said. "I think every single person at ringside said I won it." The Olympic bronze medallist felt he had done enough to take home the title, particularly in the later rounds where Parker appeared comfortable and Buatsi struggled to land clean shots.
Buatsi, however, remained calm and collected after his first defeat. "You can't be on the floor six times and claim you won," he said. The British light-heavyweight champion downplayed any concerns about his performance, stating that champions win regardless of how it comes. Buatsi's promoter Frank Warren may need to consider whether a rematch is worth the hassle, given the lack of excitement produced by the fight.
The bout was marred by excessive holding throughout, which on several occasions resulted in Parker dropping from the clinches to the canvas. Both fighters felt that their opponent should have been penalised for this tactic, and the referee's failure to intervene sparked debate among fans. As a result, many are calling for a rematch, but it remains to be seen whether Buatsi will take on the challenge once again.
For now, Buatsi has moved his record to 20-1, while Parker falls to 27-4. The question now is what's next for each fighter, and whether they'll be able to put behind the controversy of this fight and move forward with renewed focus and determination.
he had it all in his hands but those holding tactics from buatsi got him caught 
the crowd was going wild that he lost, gotta respect their passion 
buatsi did say somethin' wise after the fight though - you can't be on the floor six times and claim you won 
let's see if parker bounces back stronger 
I'm still reeling from that brutal fight! I mean, Zach Parker was on fire in those last few rounds, he totally outboxed Joshua Buatsi! The holding was super annoying too 
. Parker's right, he should've won that fight easy. And now I'm all for a rematch! Can you imagine if they did it again with some new rules about holding? That would make the fight way more exciting 
. The excessive holding by both fighters is a major red flag - it's not exactly thrilling to watch when you know one side's gonna get hurt 
.
, but somehow the judges saw it differently 
. I get that Buatsi fought hard and all, but six times getting dropped from the clinches? That's just crazy 
. As for Buatsi, he's still a champ with an impressive record 
, but this fight has definitely raised some questions about his mental toughness 
. What do you guys think? Should they stick around or move on? 
. And yeah, excessive holding is just annoying - it's not fair to either fighter 
. Parker's gonna bounce back from this, I can feel it 
. And can we talk about how many times those guys were holding each other?! It's like they were trying to score points through awkward clinches instead of actual boxing moves 
.
!
And what's with the referee being so lenient? I mean, I know they're human and all, but come on! You can't just ignore blatant cheating like that.