JOSEPH PARKER was left bloodied, battered and bruised following his defeat to surging heavyweight Joe Joyce.
The former WBO heavyweight champion was knocked out in the 11th round of the pair’s Manchester melee on Saturday night.
Joseph Parker suffered a brutal 11th-round KO loss to Joe Joyce on Saturday night
Parker suffered a big cut on the side of his right eyebrow
Parker was left battered a bruised after the fight
Parker, 30, was a bloody mess in the seventh round following a big left hand and sustained further damage to his face thanks to Joyce’s peppering jab.
Joyce’s lead hand broke the nose of the New Zealander and left him looking worse for wear after the fight.
Boxing fans were quick to comment, with one saying: “Joseph Parker’s face is battered.”
Another said: “What heart shown by Parker after getting a nasty cut near his right eye.”
One remarked: “Joseph Parker has never received that kind of beating ever in his entire career.
“Joe Joyce battled and tattered the shit out of him. This is how heavyweight fights are supposed to be.”
Another said during the fight: “I don’t want to even imagine what Joseph Parker is feeling inside right now.
“He’s exhausted, blood all over his face & has a man-eating everything he’s throwing.”
Defeat to Joyce snapped a two-fight win streak for Parker, who doesn’t plan to wallow on his first stoppage loss.
He said: “There’s no point dwelling on it, a loss is a loss but you’ve got to keep putting in the training and get back to work.
“If you dwell on it, then that will hold you back – it’s just a fight really.
“I’ll relax for a bit and when the time is right I’ll watch the fight over and look at what we did positive and negative and work on it.
“It’s all learning.
“Even though I’ve been champion of the world, I’m still learning as a fighter.”
Joyce, meanwhile, has set his sights on a showdown with unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
The interim WBO titleholder said in his post-fight interview: “Usyk, I’m very skilled, let’s get it on.”
