Simon Kean got what he asked for Saturday night.
He waved Joseph Parker forward in the third round of their heavyweight bout and Parker promptly drilled him with a right uppercut that ended their scheduled 10-rounder on the Tyson Fury-Francis Ngannou undercard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Kean fell flat on his back after taking that shot and couldn’t get up in time to beat the count.
New Zealand’s Parker (33-3, 23 KOs), a former WBO champion, was declared the winner at 2:04 of the third round.
Parker ended Kean’s eight-fight winning streak. Prior to Saturday night, Quebec’s Kean (23-2, 22 KOs) hadn’t lost since Dillon Carman (then 13-3) upset him by fourth-round knockout in October 2018 at Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
Parker, who entered the ring as a 9-1 favorite according to DraftKings sportsbook, staggered Kean with a right uppercut a few seconds after the midway mark of the third round. Another right uppercut by Parker knocked Kean flat on his back with 1:09 to go in the third round.
Kean couldn’t get up in time and lost by knockout.
A jarring jab by Parker stopped Kean from coming forward with 1:20 remaining in the second round. Kean’s straight right hand landed a minute into the second round.
A jab by Kean made Parker reset his feet with 40 seconds to go in the opening round. A left hand by Parker knocked Kean off balance less than 20 seconds into their fight.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.