Lewis: You have done NZ proud

Three-time world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis has offered some words of encouragement for Joseph Parker after the Kiwi heavyweight suffered the first loss of his professional boxing career.

Lewis, who tweeted his own written commentary throughout the 12-round fight, urged Parker to ‘‘keep on pushing’’ despite the setback.

‘‘Definitely nothing to hang [your] head for. Learn from this experience, learn new tactics and keep on pushing. Hands that fast have much further to take [you] than this. You’ve done NZ proud but [you are] not done. Bless [sic],’’ he said.

Although it was not the ‘‘scrap’’ he had hoped for, Lewis praised Joshua for keeping Parker at the end of his jab and fighting smart.

‘‘Ref seemed too hurried to break them up at times . . . but it was a clear win for AJ and he showed maturity & patience [sic],’’ he added.

Parker failed to land enough punches to upset a clinical Joshua, which was a sentiment shared by a wide range of international boxing journalists who reported that Parker never appeared on course for an upset despite going the distance.

‘‘New Zealander Parker delivered a battling display without seriously troubling Joshua,’’ said Alan Tyres in his report for The Telegraph.

Luke Brown of the Independent said Parker demonstrated a capacity to weather Joshua’s biggest shots but failed to force the question.

‘‘Joseph Parker became the first man to take him the distance and briefly threatened to drag him into deep water, but it took mere minutes for his efforts to be forgotten and talk to switch to the one remaining heavyweight king,’’ Brown said.

Kevin Mitchell of The Guardian said Joshua’s victory was both clinical and fair. He labelled the fight ‘‘dramafree’’.

‘‘Two of the judges saw it 118-110, and the third had it 119-109 – a bit harsh on the New Zealander, who might have had a share of the sixth and a shout of stealing the seventh in a fleeting period of success. But the verdict was, overall, fair.’’