British heavyweight Dillian Whyte survived a late Joseph Parker onslaught to score a unanimous decision win at London's O2 Arena.
Parker was knocked down twice during the epic 12-round contest, but came home with fire in his belly, dropping the Brit in the final frame.
Whyte hung on through the final 30 seconds, admitting afterwards that he was in serious trouble. Parker gave full credit to his opponent, stating the better man won.
The Kiwi started well, pestering Whyte with a slick left jab, but late in the second, he was dropped by the 'Body Snatcher' and copped a standing eight-count by referee Ian John-Lewis.
On review, the knockdown was a result of a head clash, which was obscured to the referee.
Whyte capitalised, taking control of the fight over the course of the next six rounds.
Early in the ninth Parker got caught by a thunderous left hook, sending the 26-year-old to the canvas.
Parker regained his composure quickly, beating the referee's count and finished the round strongly.
Whyte began to tire early in the 10th round, as Parker pushed forward, trying to pull back on the scorecards.
Midway through the 11th, the Kiwi rocked Whyte with a body punch-right uppercut combination that had the 30-year-old in trouble, but a tired Parker couldn't score that decisive blow.
Parker came out with bad intentions in the final three minutes, punishing Whyte with body punches and overhand rights, eventually dropping his foe within the final 30 seconds.
The Kiwi couldn't land a significant blow in the final few seconds, with Whyte desperately clinging on for survival.
Whyte scored the nod from all three judges: 113-112, 115-110 and 114-111.
The boxing world is Whyte's oyster now, with heayweight title fights against Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua a high possibility.
As for the Kiwi, he still has a one-fight obligation with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom promotion as part of a deal struck by David Higgins.
A trip back home against Dereck Chisora is on the cards, after the veteran Brit stopped Carlos Takam on Sunday's undercard.
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