Zach Parker left the ring in disbelief after his loss to Joshua Buatsi on Saturday night in Manchester, refusing to stay and watch his opponent celebrate a decision he felt should have gone the other way. The 31-year-old British light heavyweight was certain he had done enough to win the 10-round contest, only to see two of the three judges score it 96-94 for Buatsi and the third 95-95.
Stunned by the result, Parker stormed out of the ring as Buatsi addressed the crowd. In his post-fight interview, Buatsi admitted, “It wasn’t my best performance. But what do champions do? They win at all costs,” while criticizing Parker’s tactics. “You keep holding and going on the floor. How can you do that and claim you won the fight?”
Hours later, Parker broke his silence, venting his anger and disbelief. “I’m fuming,” he said. “I won that fight easy. I think every single person at ringside said I won it. I should be changing my daughter’s life, and the life of my new unborn child. I won almost every round. I outboxed him. He couldn’t even touch me. I should be champion now and going on to bigger fights.”
Watch Parker vs. Buatsi Behind the Bell.
Parker argued that Buatsi’s physical tactics and the referee’s leniency played a role in the outcome. “When he’s pushing me down, what do you want me to do? I can’t keep lifting him up… If he’s pushing me down, the ref should probably say, ‘Stop pushing him down.’” He admitted the fight was “a little bit scrappy at times,” but insisted he was never in danger: “I probably gave him one round and that was early. In the later rounds he couldn’t even catch me. I was comfortable.”
The following morning, Parker’s frustration remained unchanged. Posting on social media, he wrote: “I can’t believe the decision [went] against me last night. Pretty much everyone at ringside and online said I won the fight and won it quite convincingly. I should have that title over my shoulder today and have changed my family’s life.”
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