A competitive fight between Junior Fa and Joseph Parker ended with a visibly inconclusive victory in favour of Parker, who was expected by most of the bookmakers to dominate the fight, at the Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand, last night 27 February.

Both fighters landed blows, although neither were wobbled or put into retreat. Fa sustained a cut near his left eye after being accidently elbowed by Parker in the 9th round. The cut caused a bleed but it had ceased by the 12th round. Despite winning the fight by unanimous decision, Parker’s team were visibly disappointed as they were under pressure from the New Zealand public to pull off a knockout.

The loss is Fa's first after 19 wins in his professional career. Parker was awarded the vacant WBO title, one of  five prestigious world title belts. Prior to the fight, Fa was ranked 5^th and Parker 3^rd by the WBO. The journey of both boxers continues with the possibility of a second meeting. 

- Finau Fonua.