Boxing fans around the globe were treated to two classic heavyweight encounters in one evening at the O2 Arena, with England coming out on top in an international affair.Following Dereck Chisora's brutal eighth round knockout of Carlos Takam, the stage was set for Dillian Whyte and Joseph Parker to do-battle in-front of a sold-out London crowd.In a pulsating 12-round fight, Parker was inadvertently sent to the canvas in the second round due to an accidental clash of heads, but Whyte laid him out in round nine with a huge right hook.Both men unsurprisingly started to tire in the later rounds after giving their all, but Parker seemed to find a second wind in the final round, and with just 30 seconds to go, the New Zealander forced the 'Body Snatcher' to the mat, but it wasn't enough to stop the contest.The judges unanimously ruled that Whyte had claimed the victory, and in-turn secured the WBO International championship, and also a potential rematch with Anthony Joshua in 2019, should he defeat Alexander Povetkin in September and negotiations with Deontay Wilder don't materialise.Whyte called out AJ following the win, saying; "If he wants it, he can have it," but he was also respectful to his opponent for the effort that he put in to create a great fight on just seven weeks notice.Similarly, Parker showed great respect to Whyte and the fans in attendance, whilst admitting that he's still a work in progress as a fighter and that there's more to come in his boxing career.“Everyone thank you for being here tonight, what a great opportunity it is to fight in the UK for a third time,” Parker told Sky Sports following the fight.“We knew it would be a tough challenge, he is so strong, it shows we have a lot to work on, I want to say congratulations to my brother.

"I have got 12 rounds to fight, I gave it my best, the better man won. It has been an amazing journey, but it is just the beginning.”

The respect that Parker showed was shared by boxing fans on Twitter, who lauded the 26-year-old for his efforts.