Boxing: Joseph Parker should have beaten Dillian Whyte - Mike Angove

  • 30/07/2018

Boxing commentator Mike Angove believes Joseph Parker should have conquered Dillian Whyte in their heavyweight contest.

Parker suffered the second loss of his boxing career - a unanimous-points decision to Briton Dillian Whyte at London's O2 Arena.

The result will see him slide down the heavyweight ranks and some have already speculated he may not return to the ring.

Speaking on The AM Show, Angove claimed Parker only had himself to blame for the defeat.

"It is a fight Joe should have won," Angove told Tthe AM Show.

"He should have known that Dillian was going to come in and rough-house, and impose his frame on him.

"That is where Joe, rather than looking at the referee and looking bemused, should have gone back and smacked him in the groin himself. He needed to pull down his head and show some mongrel.

"There were some decisions that changed the nature and flow of the fight. There were many chances for Joe to adapt and come back, and that was the problem."

"One big talking point to come out of the heavyweight bout was a contentious knockdown in the second round.

The 26-year-old Parker was coasting, but he was sent to the canvas right by a clash of heads before the bell.

Whyte leaned in with his shoulder, dropping his head and collided with Parker's temple, prompting referee Ian John-Lewis to rule it a knockdown.

Parker seemed visibly shaken and struggled to sustain his earlier dominance, allowing Whyte to take over the fight, landing several heavy blows.

"There is no doubt he was dazed," Angove added.

"He might have thought a punch dropped him and up to that point, he was doing really well in that fight.

"Whyte grew in strength from there, and Joe struggled from Rounds 3-6 and went missing, and that is when Dillian started coming in with the head and start rough-housing."

Angove suggested Parker should take some time out before considering his next fight.

"He has a rebuilding phase he needs to go through.

"There were holes in his game that were evident that have been around in his last 3-4 fights that he needs to retool and, redevelop, and that takes time.

"In terms of who you fight next, let's give the guy a couple of months to come back and see his daughter, then re-evaluate as a team."

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