Joseph Parker Too Powerful for Pettaway

The bout was dubbed "the Road to the Title" and Jason Pettaway proved little more than a speedbump for New Zealand heavyweight champion Joseph Parker in Manukau tonight.

Parker won with a TKO 40 seconds into the fourth round. He completely outclassed the American known as the "Technician" from the outset, but there was a minor touch of controversy at the finish.

Pettaway's corner complained vociferously at the end following referee John Conway's decision to stop the fight as their man had gone down on one knee when Parker delivered a final punch, technically illegal, although the South Aucklander could argue that he was moving in and committed to the punch.

Either way, Parker deserved the victory for he was vastly superior.

"I thought it was a good performance tonight, not a great performance," trainer Kevin Barry said. "We set pretty high standards, I thought he was a bit sluggish, but he came away with a nice knockout win."

In front of several sporting personalities at the Vodafone Events Centre, including Blues players Jerome Kaino, Steven Luatua and former All Black Stephen Donald, Parker went forward from the opening bell, hitting Pettaway with body shots left and right and doubling up on his jab. The mobile Pettaway did well to mostly stay out of trouble but there was plenty in store for the remainder of the fight.

Parker connected with more powerful shots in the second round and in round three Pettaway was down with about 20 seconds remaining following a hard right hand to the head. He bravely got up, but Parker attacked again only for the bell to save his opponent.

It was all over early in the fourth, Pettaway taking a knee under the onslaught for a popular victory in front of his home supporters.

"It's always cool to come back home, especially here in South Auckland where I was brought up," he said afterwards.

"Getting the victory is always good, I'm happy with it. Maybe I was looking for the knockout too early, but I'll take it."

The road ahead will now increase with difficulty for Parker. His promoters Duco want him to fight for a title shot next year and are looking hard for an opponent who will not only challenge Parker, but potentially send him further up the rankings should he win. He is currently ranked ninth in the WBO and 10th in the WBA.

To increase his skill even further, he will now embark on a three-week sparring camp with undisputed heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko in Florida.

"Sparring with Wladimir, it's going to be a great experience for me," he said.

Earlier, Parker's training partner Izu Ugonoh recorded a second-round TKO victory with a shot to the ribs of his opponent Thomas Peato and Dave "The Brown Buttabean Letele" knocked out former Tonga Rugby World Cup captain Finau Maka in the first round of a corporate fight. - NZ Herald