#Letakan iklan disini
Boxing Dec 07, 2025

Joshua Buatsi beats Zach Parker in controversial decision after gruelling British light-heavyweight clash

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
Joshua Buatsi beats Zach Parker in controversial decision after gruelling British light-heavyweight clash

Zach Parker said he was "fuming" after losing a controversial decision to fellow British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi on Saturday.

One judge scored the Manchester bout a 95-95 draw, while the other two saw it as a 96-94 victory for Buatsi.

After suffering a first defeat five fights to drop his record to 27-4, Parker insisted the decision should have gone his way.

He told DAZN: "Fuming. I won that fight easy. I think every single person at ringside said I won it.

"I won literally almost every round. If I outbox him and he can't even touch me, I should be champion now and going on to bigger fights."

Many ringside observers thought Parker had done enough to win the scrappy contest.

"Everyone's got eyes, so they can see the fight," Parker added. "He can't even a land a clean shot on me. I should be champion. I'm just pi**ed off.

"(I'd probably give him) one round, and that was early. The later rounds, he couldn't even catch me. I was comfortable in there.

"I should be going on for bigger titles and bigger money fights. I'm trying to change my daughter's life, and I get decisions like that."

Olympic bronze medallist Buatsi (20-1) returned to winning ways after suffering the first defeat of his professional career to Callum Smith in February.

Buatsi said: "I must admit it wasn't my best performance, but what do champions do? They win. Regardless of how it comes, you take it."

The fight was somewhat spoilt by excessive holding throughout, which on several occasions resulted in Parker dropping from the clinches to the canvas.

The pair each felt that the other should have been penalised for their tactics.

Parker said: "When he's pushed me down, what do you want me to do?

"I can't keep lifting him up. He's 14 stone or whatever, I'm going to waste my energy. If he's pushing me down, the referee should probably say, 'stop pushing him down.' I wouldn't keep going down to the floor then.

"A little bit scrappy at times, but if that's the way you can win a fight and outbox him and jab his head off all night, he couldn't even catch me with a shot."

Buatsi, with whom the judges appeared to agree with, was unimpressed by Parker's tactics.

"I don't know what style that is," Buatsi siad.

"You keep holding and going on the floor… you can't be on the floor about six times and claim you won the fight."

The controversial nature of the decision is likely to fuel calls for a rematch, but the lack of entertainment the fight produced could lead Buatsi's new promoter Frank Warren to think twice about taking up such an option.

Tags:

boxing news id:13462371

Share this article

Related Posts

Harvey Dykes: English heavyweight taking leave from job as binman to eye shock win over ex-Olympic medallist Ivan Dychko

Harvey Dykes: English heavyweight taking leave from job as binman to eye shock win over ex-Olympic medallist Ivan Dychko

Harvey Dykes would normally be working as a rubbish collector this week, but the unbeaten heavyweight has taken time out from his job to chase a life-...

Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua: No confirmed venue for heavyweight super-fight but no danger of collapse, says Frank Warren

Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua: No confirmed venue for heavyweight super-fight but no danger of collapse, says Frank Warren

Tyson Fury’s heavyweight super-fight with Anthony Joshua is not in danger of collapse, insists Frank Warren.Fury and Joshua are both former world cham...

Caroline Dubois calls out Alycia Baumgardner saying she is 'lost' while also hailing Irish boxing icon Katie Taylor

Caroline Dubois calls out Alycia Baumgardner saying she is 'lost' while also hailing Irish boxing icon Katie Taylor

Caroline Dubois says a fight against Alycia Baumgardner will be "unavoidable, unmissable, and undeniable".Dubois, who dropped returns as the UK's uni...

Oleksandr Usyk's next fight? Rico Verhoeven calls for immediate rematch as Agit Kabayel waits for mandatory shot

Oleksandr Usyk's next fight? Rico Verhoeven calls for immediate rematch as Agit Kabayel waits for mandatory shot

Rico Verhoeven has called for a rematch with Oleksandr Usyk. But does the kickboxing superstar merit a second shot at boxing's heavyweight champion?Ve...

Ryan Garcia announces he will be fighting Conor Benn in a blockbuster encounter in Las Vegas this September

Ryan Garcia announces he will be fighting Conor Benn in a blockbuster encounter in Las Vegas this September

Ryan Garcia has announced he will be fighting Conor Benn in a blockbuster encounter in Las Vegas on September 12th in the first defence of his WBC wel...

Oleksandr Usyk wants to 'push the boundaries of the sport' | Rico Verhoeven 'not an easy opponent at all,' says promoter

Oleksandr Usyk wants to 'push the boundaries of the sport' | Rico Verhoeven 'not an easy opponent at all,' says promoter

Until the fight was made no one expected Oleksandr Usyk to fight Rico Verhoeven.Now on Saturday, boxing's imperious unified heavyweight champion Usyk...