Joseph Parker has admitted he still feels like he has "a lot to give Boxing" in the aftermath of his 11th round knockout defeat at the hands of Joe Joyce.
Parker, who has previously gone the distance with both Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte, could not handle the brutal left hook of Joyce. The London-born 37-year-old delivered a stunning punch to win the WBO interim heavyweight title at the Manchester Arena.
As for his opponent, Parker gave as good as he got and certainly hurt Joyce at times. He found joy with some powerful leading shots to the new interim champion's chin, but they were too few and far between to muster up any kind of real momentum.
Parker came away from the fight notably bloodied and bruised, with his left eye starting to close from the ninth round onwards. That, though, did not alter the 30-year-old's game plan and he continued to fight on the offensive to produce an entertaining clash.
Despite the defeat, Parker was in high spirits and complimentary of his opponent after the bout. "He was put under a lot of pressure, so congratulations to him he is a hell of a fighter," the New Zealander explained.
"I still feel like I've got a lot to give boxing, I've just got to keep working. He put the pressure on, when I came out I should have focused more, but he caught me with a few shots and it sort of changed from there."
Pressed for comment on what's next for him, Parker added: "Just keep going. 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.
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"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."
As for Joyce, his sights are now firmly set on unified champion Oleksandr Usyk in early 2023. Promoter Frank Warren revealed that a fight with Usyk is hopefully in the works.
"Joe showed why he is the juggernaut," Warren added. "I knew he'd get there in the end but hats off to Joseph Parker, he is a brave warrior.
"We have a new kid on the block here. Joyce is like a fine wine, he is getting better with age. He is the mandatory challenger for the WBO title against Usyk and we are going to move heaven and earth to make sure he gets a shot."
