Joseph Parker (22-0, 18 KOs) outpointed Mexico’s Andy Ruiz Jr (29-1, 19 KOs) to win the vacant WBO heavyweight title at the Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand.
Parker became New Zealand’s first ever heavyweight world champion.
One judge scored the fight 114-114, but he was overruled by the other two judges who scored the fight 115-113 for Parker.
Ruiz got the better of Parker early on, scoring with a lot of heavy blows in the first half of the bout, but the New Zealander was busier…