Fight card:
Joseph Parker v Faiga Opelu - Heavyweight - Parker wins via first-round KO
Nikita Tszyu v Benjamin Bommber - Light middleweight - Tszyu wins via first-round KO
Cameron Mooney v Tom Bellchambers - Heavyweight - Bellchambers wins via third-round KO
Joel Taylor v Ben Horn - Welterweight - Horn wins via unanimous decision
David Nyika v Louis Marsters - Cruiserweight - Nyika wins via fourth-round TKO
Campbell Somerville v Isaias Sette - Light middleweight - Sette wins via fourth-round TKO
Jayde Mitchell v Max Reeves - 78.5kg catchweight - Reeves wins via second-round TKO
Luke Gersbeck v Jack Moore - Light middleweight - Gersbeck wins via unanimous decision
Live updates:
Joseph Parker v Faiga Opelu- Parker wins via first-round KO
Round one - Let's get this started. Parker through the gate with a big right early. Looking sharp from the outset, snappy one-two connects, punching down towards his much shorter opponent. Parker unleashes a huge combo ending with a monster right, down stumbles Opelu, in steps the referee and this one is over!
11:44pm - Parker a little tardy getting his walk-out attire sorted. Out he strides eventually, Tyson Fury directly behind him.
11:42pm - Here comes the Samoan-born, Brisbane-based tradie/boxer, out to pull off the upset of his career.
11:26pm - Wow, incredible first-round KO for Nikita Tszyu.
Parker is up next, stay tuned.
11:10pm - Bellchambers ends the bout in the final round with a heavy right hand.
Rabbitohs star Latrell Mitchell has been vocal about his desire to fight the winner of that fight. We could have a cross-code clash on our hands.
Co-main event is next with another cab off the Tszyu rank, Nikita, to square off with Benjamin Bommber.
10:50pm - Horn has his hand raised, winner via unanimous decision.
Next up, the two former AFL stars Cameron Mooney and Tom Bellchambers will throw down at heavyweight.
10:44pm - Horn and Taylor are entering the sixth and final round of their welterweight bout.
10:02pm - An emphatic peformance from the Kiwi, who earns a second TKO win against Marsters to take his young professional record to 6-0.
Round four - One-two Nyika, punctuates it with an uppercut. Nyika offloading now, throwing with some more heat. Blood is pouring from Marsters' nose. Nyika compounds that damage with a huge jab. More body shots follow, Marsters' corner could step in here soon. No, the referee beats them to it. TKO stoppage win for the Kiwi.
Round three - Nyika starts with yet another big uppercut that finds its mark. Marsters lunges winging shots, Nyika rewards him with a straight right. Nyika defends a right hook and goes back underneath with a body shot. Marsters the aggressor here as he throws caution to the wind but Nyika has been effective with his counters. Big Nyika left to end the round and bank his third.
Round two - Nyika maintaining the distance expertly, switching stance regularly and tagging Marsters frequently. Heavy uppercut followed by a crisp body shot, which is how he finished Marsters at this stage of the bout back in July. Marsters half connects with a straight right. Nyika responds with more scoring shots to the body. That'll be two in the bag for the Kiwi.
Round one - Nyika towers over Marsters as they touch gloves. Here we go. Much as he did in their first fight, Marsters comes out very aggressively, swinging with full power. Nyika stays calm, avoids any damage. Crisp one-two from Nyika. Nyika goes to his jab, making use of that sizeable reach advantage. Avoids an overhand right and plows a shot into Marsters' midriff. Stinging uppercut sneaks through Marster's guard as part of a three-shot combination. Convincing first round for the Kiwi.
9:42pm - Nyika strolls out with a smile on his face to the strains of 'Stand By Me' with none other than Tyson Fury in tow.
9:40pm - Here comes Louis Marsters, the Kiwi-born Melburnian, who'll be out to avenge his loss TKO loss to Nyika last July.
9:31pm - Sette is unleashing bombs here, Somerville's face is a bloody mess. And there flies the white towel, Sette clinches his first pro victory.
Up next - David Nyika!
9:15pm - Backstage we go with Nyika, where Fury is on hand to offer some last-minute words of encouragement for his training partner.
Five three-minute rounds between Somerville and Sette and then the Kiwi is up.
9:02pm - The broadcast has transitioned to the pay-per-view portion of proceedings, which will kick off shortly with a light middleweight showdown between Campbell Somerville and Isaias Sette.
After that - Nyika o'clock.
8:39pm - A huge gash opens over Mitchell's eye. In comes the doctor, and this one will be waved off - TKO win for Reeves in the second round.
One more bout, then Nyika will be making his way to the middle.
8:33pm - Heavyweight king Tyson Fury has been prominent all week in the build-up to this one in Melbourne, where he's on hand to support his good mate and training partner Parker.
Fury was at his accomodating best earlier at Margaret Court Arena.
8:25pm - Gersbeck earns the judges' nod in a straightforward decision against Moore, showcasing some slick body work en route to the win.
A catchweight bout at 78.5 kg is up next on the agenda, with Jayde Mitchell taking on Max Reeves over eight three-minute rounds.
8pm - Evening, fight fans. An action-packed evening of boxing ahead of us, so settle in.
We'll bring you detailed coverage of both fights involving New Zealanders, starting shortly with David Nyika.
The first fight of the televised undercard is underway between light middleweights Luke Gersbeck and Jack Moore.
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Kia ora and welcome to Newshub's live coverage of Kiwi Joseph Parker's showdown with Faiga Opelu at Melbourne's Margaret Court Arena.
Parker is out to prove he still has what it takes to make another run for a heavyweight world title, after bouncing back from defeat to Joe Joyce with a points victory over Jack Massey in January.
He'll head into the bout as a strong betting favourite against Opelu (15-2), who proved how dangerous a puncher he is with a knockout of highly touted Kiwi prospect Hemi Ahio last year.
Also in action is New Zealand's David Nyika, who'll try to continue the undefeated start to his professional career against Aussie Louis Marsters.
We'll have all of the results from approximately 8pm (NZ time).
The main event is expected to take place at around 12am.
Leaner, meaner Parker weighs in to take on Opelu
By Alex Powell
Joseph Parker has tipped the scales at his lightest weight since 2018 for Wednesday's bout against Australia's Faiga Opelu in Melbourne.
Parker, 31, weighed in at 108.8kg on Tuesday, nearly 4kg lighter than he was for his last fight - defeating Jack Massey by unanimous decision in January.
The last time Parker was as light as he currently is came against Anthony Joshua in Cardiff when the Kiwi suffered his first career defeat to surrender his WBO heavyweight title.
While lighter than he has been in recent memory, Parker's 108.8kg sees him nearly 12kg heavier than his opponent, as Opelu tipped the scales at 97.4kg.
"In my 10 years of boxing this has been one of my best preparations ever, even before winning the world title," Parker said.
"So this fight is going to be very different and I feel sorry for Faiga because he's the one in front of me.
"He's going to get the full force."
Parker's record heading into Wednesday's bout with Opelu sits at 31 wins and three defeats, with 21 of those victories coming by knockout.
Meanwhile, Opelu's record reads 15 wins and three defeats, with a further two draws. Eleven of his victories have come by knockout.
