https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngs4cxJDvNA
Undefeated heavyweight Joseph Parker (21-0, 18 KOs) put on a punching display tonight in beating Ukrainian Alexander Dimitrenko (38-3, 25 KOs) by a 3rd round KO on Saturday night in front of a large crowd of boxing fans at the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau, New Zealand. Parker put the 34-year-old Dimitrenko down four times in the fight.
The slaughter ended after Parker dropped Dimitrenko with a short right to the body in the 3rd. Dimitrenko was too hurt to get back up after he was hit with a right to the body while he was down on one knee. The referee Marlon Wright didn’t see Parker hit Dimitrenko while he was down, so he ruled it as a knockout. The official time of the stoppage was at 1:38 of the third round.
Dimitrenko never tried to get back to his feet after he was knocked down by a right hand body shot in the 3rd. It honestly didn’t look like Parker hit Dimitrenko hard with the body shot. The two of them were in a clinch when Parker hit Dimitrenko with a light right hand to the body, as if to tell him, ‘Hey, let go of me.’ Dimitrenko sunk to his knees from the shot.
Parker might not have known that Dimitrenko was down, because he immediately hit him with another right hand to the body. This time, Dimitrenko rolled over on his back and went into what some boxing fans felt was theatrics. Referee Marlon Wright wasn’t about to disqualify Parker, because he didn’t see the late punch because he was standing behind the action instead of being in front of it. The only thing that Wright saw was Dimitrenko going down from a body shot, and then rolling around on the canvas. It’s too bad Dimitrenko didn’t get back up because it would have been nice to see him go out on his shield rather than the way it ended.
“I am angry because I was down with my knee on the ground and he hit me. He pushed me (down) and then he hit me,” Dimitrenko said to stuff.co.uk after the fight. “I didn’t see this punch. If you don’t see the punch, it is even more dangerous. Of course I am angry and I told this to the referee. He told me ‘I didn’t see, sorry, it’s OK’. I will (protest). The supervisor is here and I will do this (protest), it is my right. I’m disappointed the way the fight ended.”
In round one, Parker knocked Dimitrenko down with a 1-2 combination to the head. Dimitrenko was backed to the corner, and he couldn’t get out of the way of the big shots from Parker. Dimitrenko got back up and was upset, telling the referee that he hadn’t been knocked down.
Parker knocked Dimitrenko down twice in round two with head shots. The second knockdown came from a right hand/elbow combination that hit Dimitrenko high on his head. The glove part of the right hand hit Dimitrenko first followed by the elbow of Parker. It was a devastating one-time punch from Parker that sent Dimitrenko down. He looked in bad shape after that knockdown.
It’s unclear whether Parker will face IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua next on November 26. There’s a chance that Joshua will fight Wladimir Klitschko on that date. Parker could wind up facing David Price on the same card if the Joshua-Klitschko fight takes place.