Anthony Joshua celebrates with his belts after victory over Joseph Parker CREDIT: PAAnthony Joshua wins on points 118-110, 118-110, 119-109
Joshua now holds the WBA, IBF, IBO and WBO belts
Joshua taken the distance for first time in his pro career
Victory in Cardiff was Joshua's 21st straight career win
Joshua says he now wants Deontay Wilder or Tyson FuryAnthony Joshua's ascent to the summit of modern heavyweight greatness continued on Saturday night but it was more of a chess match than a war as the Londoner outpointed Joseph Parker to claim a third 'major' world-title belt.
For a superfight, unifying three of the four major world crowns, there were aspects of the showdown which disappointed. Not the efforts of the two young, still-developing heavyweights, but more the manner in which the battle was managed.
The refereeing was pitiful. All the inside-fighting and clinch-fighting was disallowed by referee Giuseppe Quartarone. He was appalling, constantly separating the two as if it were an amateur Olympic bout. Every time a real fight broke out, the Italian intervened. It meant that as the two combatants went to work inside, they could not come apart and exchange. Instead, it was a fight contested 95 per cent at distance.
The judges scored the contest 118-110, twice, and 119-109 to Joshua, the 6ft 6ins Briton with the six-inch reach advantage making his physicality tell as the rounds progressed.
At the halfway mark, I had them tied, but it was Joshua's jab, and his greater fitness and stamina - 12 pounds lighter than his last contest - that proved the difference.
Although both men landed heavy shots, it was only in the 11th round - ironically after one of the few clinches that the referee did not intervene - that they buckled, the Samoan first, then Joshua, as they threw and exchanged heavy right hooks.
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