Kiwi heavyweight Joseph Parker capped off his stellar year with a classy knockout win against Brazilian No. 1 Irineu Beato Costa Junior in Hamilton on Saturday night.
Parker, who retained his WBO Oriental and PABA heavyweight titles, controlled the bout from the opening bell before handing the towering 34-year-old his first-ever knockout loss in the fourth round.
The 22-year-old unloaded on the body of Costa Junior during the opening three rounds, and the clearly frustrated Brazilian resorted to throwing wild shots, later forced to constantly lunge forward off balance.
Parker was never out of his comfort zone and dismantled the veteran with precision before landing one final knockout blow midway through the fourth.
The Brazilian was out cold and needed to be helped to his stool almost a minute after hitting the floor.
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