Parker beats Fury on points, retains WBO heavyweight title

MANCHESTER, England — Joseph Parker prevented the Fury family from

reclaiming a world heavyweight title by beating Hughie Fury by a majority decision

on Saturday, with the judges rewarding the New Zealander’s attacking approach in an

uneventful fight.

Parker failed to land many clean punches but was never in danger against Fury,

who came with a game plan of negating Parker’s power with his movement and foot

speed and then counterattacking.

Two judges scored the fight 118-110 in favor of Parker. The other judge scored

it 114-114.

“I felt I won, put on the pressure,” Parker said. “It was a close fight, but I felt I

came out on top.”

It was the second successful defense of his belt, leaving Parker (24-0) to look

ahead to a potential fight against WBA and IBF champion Anthony Joshua. Parker’s

promoter, Dave Higgins, said the fight could be arranged for the summer of 2018 at a

big stadium in Britain.

“I don’t care who I fight next, everyone and anyone,” said Parker, who was

fighting in the UK for the first time and plans for more fights here.

Hughie was attempting to match the achievement of his cousin, Tyson, who

beat Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015 to win the WBA, WBO and IBF belts.
Tyson was in Hughie’s corner at Manchester Arena and leapt into the ring after the

fight was over, mobbing his cousin in an attempt to convince the judges.

It didn’t work. The Fury camp said it will be appealing the result.

“Disgusted to be honest,” Fury said. “They’ve ruined peoples’ lives tonight. I

didn’t think the score was right. I thought I won the fight easy.”

Fury, who lost for the first time in 21 professional fights, is the subject of an

ongoing UK Anti-Doping investigation after low-level traces of the steroid

nandrolone were found in samples given by him in February 2015. He has denied any

wrongdoing and is challenging their findings, leaving him free to box.

Parker described Fury’s wafted punches as a “pitter-patter” and said he wasn’t

hurt once. Fury landed two uppercuts but lacked power with his punches. His

awkward, evasive style didn’t make for an entertaining fight in the first sporting event

at the arena since the bomb attack in May.

Jorge Linares retains WBA lightweight title with split-decision victory

over Luke Campbell

jorge Linares had seen a lightweight belt escape him in Los Angeles before,
and as that appeared to be happening again Saturday at the Forum, he found a
veteran’s resolve to remain champion.

In a competitive scrap against younger, lengthier 2012 Olympic gold medalist

Luke Campbell of England, Venezuela’s Linares retained his World Boxing
Assn. lightweight belt by split decision.
While judge Victor Loughlin scored the bout for Campbell 115-113, judges Max
Deluca (114-113) and Zachary Young (115-112) saw it for Linares (43-3).

“We worked hard and kept at it,” Linares said after squandering the lead that
came with his second-round knockdown of Campbell (17-2). “I knew I had to
let the dogs out.”

After Campbell won at least five rounds on all three cards between the fourth
and the 10th rounds, Linares swept the 11th and 12th on the two cards he
needed to gain the decisive edge.

“It was experience,” Linares promoter Oscar De La Hoya said. “Campbell came
out to fight. He made it a great fight and he will be a world champion. Linares
wasn’t throwing the combinations like he was [earlier]. He started throwing
one punch at a time.”

His spike of activity and elusiveness in the final two rounds allowed Linares to
avoid a repeat of the painful title defeat he experienced in 2011, losing a shot
at a vacant lightweight belt to Mexico’s Antonio DeMarco.

This time he gains a mandatory shot at a title unification against Riverside’s

World Boxing Council champion Mikey Garcia (37-0, 30 KOs). Linares said
“that’s what I want,” but De la Hoya cautioned he would review if Linares
should remain at 135 pounds and assess “the different options.”

Linares, 32, was coming off back-to-back unanimous-decision victories over

England’s Anthony Crolla and quieted the group of vocal Brits who attended
Saturday’s fight with the second-round knockdown of Campbell. After
peppering some jabs, Linares floored Campbell with a right cross to the right
eye, cutting the challenger for the first time in his pro career.

The left-handed Campbell sought to answer Linares’ superior athleticism with

creativity and counter-punching. His calm and skill allowed him to edge
Linares through the ensuing rounds until he sent the fight toward its stretch
by landing three hard, impressive left hands in the seventh.

Campbell said he thought he won and caused Linares to miss many punches.
Statistics showed Campbell landed 141 total punches to Linares’ 140, while
also landing more power punches (97-76).

“No one can ever doubt my hard work,” Campbell said. “Yeah, I got off to a
rocky start … but I had to fight. I had to get focused.”

Azat Hovhannidsyan, a super-bantamweight who trains in Glendale under

Ronda Rousey’s trainer, Edmond Tarverdyan, gave locals something to be
excited about by convincingly defeating Mexico’s Sergio Frias, 100-90, 100-
90, 98-92.