Joseph Parker's quest to conquer the British heavyweight boxing scene and beyond was alive and well after a gritty win over Hughie Fury in Manchester.

The WBO world champion defended his title with a majority points decision. The judges scored the fight 118-110, 118-110, and 114-114.

It was a solid British debut by the then 25-year-old as he backed up his pre-fight confidence.

Joseph Parker signed off his 2017 New Zealand campaign in solid fashion on Saturday night as brighter things beckoned.

Parker out-pointed big Romanian Razvan Cojanu in south Auckland in the first defence of his WBO world heavyweight title.

The judges scored it 119-108, 117-110, 117-110 in a fight which went the distance. It was a solid first defence, in what promised to be an exciting 12 months. 

Joseph Parker proved as good as his word as he became the first New Zealand-born heavyweight world boxing champion. An impressive Parker battled hard over the back end of the fight to beat Mexico's Andy Ruiz in Auckland on Saturday night to win the vacant WBO belt by majority points decision.

The judges scored the 12-round bout 114-114, 115-113, 115-113 – a reflection of how close it was.