British boxer Zach Parker expressed his frustration after a controversial loss to Joshua Buatsi, accusing the judges of impacting his children’s future. The light-heavyweight bout in Manchester saw Parker dominate Buatsi, who struggled to counter his opponent’s tactics. Despite Buatsi’s improvement in the middle rounds, Parker was deemed the clear winner by most observers, but the judges scored the fight as a draw or in favor of Buatsi.
Parker, visibly upset, believed he had convincingly won the fight and deserved the victory to secure a better future for his family. Buatsi, on the other hand, acknowledged his subpar performance but emphasized the importance of securing a win despite the circumstances. He criticized Parker’s defensive strategy, claiming it involved excessive holding and floor tactics.
Looking ahead, Buatsi aims to face the winner of Anthony Yarde’s upcoming world title fight. In another contentious decision that night, Liam Cameron was declared the winner over Troy Jones, despite Jones dominating significant portions of the bout. Promoter Eddie Hearn revealed potential dates for Anthony Joshua’s return to the ring, hinting at undercard appearances in California or Riyadh.
Furthermore, Hearn mentioned the possibility of Joshua facing Jake Paul before Christmas, as Paul seeks a new opponent following allegations against Gervonta Davis.