December 11, 2016 10:00am by David Farrar

Parker wins WBO title

Joseph Parker proved as good as his word as he became the first New Zealand-born heavyweight world boxing champion.

An impressive Parker battled hard over the back end of the fight to beat Mexico’s Andy Ruiz in Auckland on Saturday night to win the vacant WBO belt by majority points decision.

The judges scored the 12-round bout 114-114, 115-113, 115-113 – a reflection of how close it was.

Parker is an impressive boxer and great he now has a world title. However I note it was for a vacant title, not against a proven champion.

Parker’s quest now will be to go on and unify the top of the sport’s glamour division. The WBO belt represents the first rung on a ladder of four to the ultimate glory as the undisputed champion.

The IBF, WBA and WBC wait and there will be genuine concern and caution in those areas as Parker continues to do more than just rattle the ranks.

If he can unify the titles, then he will indeed be a world champion. He is on his way.