Joseph Parker’s first career fight in Australia did not last very long at all.
The former WBO heavyweight titlist from Auckland, New Zealand picked up his quickest win in nearly eight years with a first-round stoppage of Faiga Opelu. A barrage of punches ended with a right hand to floor Opelu, at which point referee Ignatius Missailidis immediately halted the contest at 1:26 of round one Wednesday evening from Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne.
The brief heavyweight affair marked Parker’s Oz debut, which headlined a Main Event Pay-Per-View.
Parker went right to work versus the overmatched Opelu (15-4-2, 11KOs). A stiff jab by the former titleholder backed up the 29-year-old heavyweight and set up a left hook to the body. Parker followed with a right hand which had Opelu in trouble and served as the beginning of the end.
Another right hand by Parker left Opelu stunned and out on his feet. One more behind it forced the Samoa-born, Queensland-based boxer to the canvas. The referee stood over a fallen Opelu and waved his right arm in the air to signal the end of the fight before he physically lifted Opelu to his feet.
Parker advanced to 32-3 (22KOs) with his second straight victory since a crushing tenth-round knockout to Joe Joyce last September 24 in his adopted home region of Manchester, England. Parker now lives and trains in nearby Morecambe alongside lineal/WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury who was ringside and joined his stablemate in the ring to celebrate the victory.
Fittingly, Parker’s Australia debut produced his first stoppage victory in more than three years. His last win inside the distance came in February 2020, when he halted Shawndell Terell Williams in the fifth round of a heavyweight bout in Frisco, Texas.
The 86-second affair was the quickest night at the office for Parker since August 2015, when he needed just 63 seconds to tear throw Bowie Tupou. The win came sixteen months prior to his December 2016 victory over Andy Ruiz to win the vacant WBO heavyweight title in a battle of unbeaten contenders.
Parker made just two successful title defenses before a March 2018 decision defeat to then-unbeaten Anthony Joshua in their multi-belt unification bout in Cardiff, Wales.
Also on the show, Nikita Tszyu delivered a first-round knockout of his own with an early win over Benjamin Bommber.
Their battle of unbeaten junior middleweights saw Bommber land a stiff jab within the first 30 seconds in his brief moment of success. Sydney’s Tszyu unleashed a furious attack, capped by an uppercut which sent Bommber (5-1, 4KOs) to the canvas. Tszyu had to be tacked by referee Ignatius Missailidis to prevent a follow-up as the fight was brought to a halt.
Tszyu improved to 6-0 (5KOs). The 26-year-old boxer campaigns in the same weight division as older brother Tim Tszyu, who owns the interim WBO title. Both are the offspring of Hall of Fame former undisputed junior welterweight champion Kostya Tszyu.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox