It wasn't without controversy. New Zealand judge Ian Scott awarded it 119-109 to Joshua, with the two others, American Steve Weisfeld and Brit Steve Gray scoring it 118-110.

The issues were several – from the drama pre-fight when his hands were wrapped, to Joshua continually hitting after the break.

But the fact is, Parker just couldn't get close enough. He had good moments but not enough and couldn't hurt Joshua when it mattered.

For the 26-year-old to win this he had to have a lot of things go right. Unfortunately for him, Joshua was just too powerful and with a jab that was better than Parker's.

"My strategy was to stick behind the jab, that's one of the most important weapons," Joshua said in the ring afterwards.

The 28-year-old Englishman stated he wants to be the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, and on this form, he will be. It's difficult to see Deontay Wilder, the WBC champion, taking the IBF, WBA and now WBO titles from him.