Five takeaways

It was mission accomplished for Joseph Parker as the New Zealand heavyweight blasted his way back into the boxing public’s consciousness in Texas.

His fifth round TKO of Shawndell Winters in Frisco on Sunday has got people talking about the former WBO champion again.

It wasn’t perfect but there was much to admire from a reset fight after his long lay-off.

Here are five takeaways as the 28-year-old looks to a busy year to make up for lost time in 2019.

THE FINISH

Parker was under enormous pressure to deliver a knockout against a much smaller and older opponent who every critic and the bookmakers gave no chance.

He did exactly that with a deadly flurry in the fifth round. The four-punch combination was spectacular, one for the highlights reel and sure to be used in promoting fights moving forward. It’s a good confidence booster too – big men love big finishes.

After eventually beating Alex Leapai into submission in his last fight eight long months ago, this much crisper climax will leave the Kiwi more satisfied. A points decision would have been a PR disaster, a loss could have been career-ending. This fabulous finish sets up a new start.

PATIENCE, POWER AND PRECISION

Apart from getting lured into a dangerous brawl in Winters’ corner late in the fourth round that cost him a cut eye, Parker stuck to a game plan that was built around those three Ps.

He looked to set up his big shots nicely and delivered them with good accuracy. The fight could have ended two rounds earlier when some similarly heavy work floored Winters who wobbled his way back to his feet and got saved by the bell when he was there for the taking.

In today’s heated heavyweight landscape it’s the front foot fighters grabbing the headlines. Parker’s attacking game took a step forward and now the challenge is to repeat it against a better opponent.

THE SET-UP

Parker’s win was also the product of his greatest attribute, a jab that has earned him the respect of some of the best in the business.

It was frequently a double jab, sometimes even a triple jab attacking the head and the body. In one attack he unleashed four lightning jabs to Winters who was forced backwards and on to the ropes in alarming fashion.

The jab allowed Parker to dictate from the safety of the outside. Delivered like this, it’s a punch that will frustrate and humiliate an opponent all night.

THE ATTITUDE

This was Parker’s first fight in eight months. The work he did to maintain his body in his downtime was obvious and made for a much more productive training camp.

In his second run at the title it’s also pleasing to see him looking at ways of bolstering the experience around him by