Joshua calls out Wilder after breezing past Parker

CARDIFF, Wales: Anthony Joshua called for a heavyweight unification fight with Deontay Wilder, saying it was “not time to sit back and enjoy the ride”, after beating Joseph Parker here on Saturday.

Joshua added Parker’s World Boxing Organisation heavyweight title to his International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Association belts with a unanimous points decision over the New Zealander after being taken to 12 rounds for the first time in his unbeaten 21-fight professional career.

Now the pressure will build for a unification bout with the United States’ Wilder, the World Boxing Council heavyweight champion.

“I want Wilder... Get him in the ring and I’ll knock him spark out,” Britain’s Joshua said in the ring immediately after judges had scored the fight 118-110, 118-110, 119-109 in his favour.

But the London 2012 Olympic champion was in more considered mood at the post-fight press conference.

“2018 was always a time to capture all the belts,” said Joshua, flanked by promoter Eddie Hearn and trainer Rob McCracken. “We are one away now.

“In my eyes, it’s not time to sit back and enjoy the ride.”

The unbeaten Wilder took to Twitter after Saturday’s contest in front of a 78,000 capacity crowd at the Principality Stadium to insist he was “the baddest man in the world, the baddest man on the planet, and that’s fact”.

Meanwhile a gracious Parker had no complaints after his first defeat in 25 bouts as a professional.

“We enjoyed being here, he (Joshua) deserved to win. We’re still young, we’ll be back,” added the 26-year-old.

Parker and his camp were frustrated by the way Italian referee Giuseppe Quartarone repeatedly intervened to stop any close-quarter work developing between the two boxers.

They questioned the Italian’s suitability for taking charge of such a big fight given what they said was his poor grasp of English. “We’re not blaming the ref (for the defeat) but he couldn’t really speak English,” said Parker.