By Elliot Raines: Zach Parker (26-2, 18 KOs) was hopping mad on Saturday night, following his controversial 10-round majority decision to 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Joshua Buatsi (20-1, 13 KOs) in their light heavyweight contest at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England.
(Credit: Queensberry/Leigh Dawney)
Fans Cry Robbery in Manchester
The 31-year-old Parker said it was a pure “robbery”, and many fans on X agreed with him. Collectively, they felt that Parker had outboxed the 32-year-old Buatsi and deserved the victory. Buatsi looked off the entire fight, lacking answers to the pinpoint shots that Parker was hitting him with throughout.
DAZN Crew Had It Wide for Parker
The judges scored it 95-95, 96-94, and 96-94. Their scores didn’t match those of the fans nor of the DAZN commentators. They overwhelmingly had Parker winning almost every round. Commenator Carl Frampton gave it to Parker 9 rounds to 1.
The loss means that Parker will have to rebuild, and who knows how long that will take him. His chances of getting a rematch with Buatsi are slim, as he’s hoping to challenge the winner of the November 22nd fight between WBC light heavyweight champion David Benavidez and Anthony Yarde next.
“Every Person Said I Beat Him”
“I’m fuming. Every single person said I beat him. Some on DAZN said he [Buatsi] won one round,” said Zach Parker to The Stomping Ground, expressing his anger about his loss to Joshua Buatsi tonight.
Referee Never Penalized the Holding
The judges obviously didn’t like the holding that Parker was doing. However, the referee, Michael Alexander, never came down on him hard, warning that he would take a point off. If he had, Parker would have likely made adjustments.
“That’s what I’m in boxing for to get me better off in life. It’s a joke. I can’t even think. Look at my reaction when I finished, and look at his reaction. His head was down,” said Parker about Buatsi. “I knew I won. Why do judges do this to people? I should be changing my family’s life. I’ve got another child on the way.”
Elliot Raines has covered British and European boxing since 2010. Known for his sharp pen and low tolerance for hype, Raines dissects the sport’s politics, promoters, and paper champions with dry precision.
