It was a relief to see him win, but the fight – and to be fair the lack of a crowd really hurts the boxing experience – was weirdly underwhelming.
There's a classic boxing adage that the best fighter is a hungry fighter. That's why some of the greatest in history - think Mike Tyson - plummeted to shock defeats. The glory and good life took over, the fear and desperation subsided.
Joseph Parker after beating Derek Chisora. Photo / Photosport
There's still time for Parker's new trainer Andy Lee to work some magic. Parker has serious potential and ability.
But you do wonder if that amazing pay day against Anthony Joshua - a fight which took place before a massive crowd - was the psychological summit for Parker.
It's no mean feat for anyone to rise to the level he has. It is tough making it on the world stage from a country which does not have a sustained history of producing world class boxers.
But the questions that spring to mind after every Parker fight of late include these: How much does he really want this, how hard does he really train for fights, does he really know how to go to war?
A star is reborn, almost instantly
Scott McLaughlin obliterated his Australian Supercars opposition before heading to America to take on IndyCar's finest.
We all knew he was a motor racing genius, with the ability to make a mark in the famous American series.
But to finish second in just his fourth race, as he did in Texas, is way beyond expectations.
The Great Scott Battle is on – mate against mate, Kiwi against Kiwi, Scott Dixon versus Scott McLaughlin.
Maybe this result will shut up McLaughlin's Aussie detractors, if any are left, who tried to claim his Supercars dominance was down to the car.
Scott McLaughlin is a rare talent. The Texas result is also another chance to emphasize what an extraordinary sportsman Scott Dixon is.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has made some crazy career moves.
He left one of the great NRL clubs, the Roosters, to play for one of league's most infamous underachievers – the shambolic Auckland Warriors.
Insiders say that RTS was surprised at some of the lax standards he found in Auckland, and resolved to lead the club to a better place by deeds rather than words.
The man is a league machine, an absolute gem, whose challenges have included leading a Warriors club forced to camp in Australia because of Covid-19.
Now he's quit the Warriors after the current season to play rugby for the Blues, who have dragged what was the world's strongest rugby province through the mire and even battled to see off the Chiefs' back-up team at Eden Park on Saturday night.
In all seriousness, RTS should have enquired about playing for the Crusaders in his quest to play for the All Blacks.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. Photo / Photosport
But if anyone knows how to put his head down and get on with the job in tough circumstances, it is RTS.
Tuivasa-Sheck is a fantastic professional and a legendary team man. The Blues need Roger Tuivasa-Sheck more than he needs them.
A former All Black emailed me over the weekend with the line "money won't fix rugby"
Then again, it could help.
So why did New Zealand Rugby bosses Brent Impey and Mark Robinson look so dour when they talked to the media about the Silver Lake mega-money deal this week? If that kind of windfall can't make you smile, what will? Everything in New Zealand rugby has to be so serious.
The Chiefs missed a trick by resting their A-team against the Blues
Cherishing match fitness would have given them an advantage against the Crusaders, who had a final round bye. The Kiwi Super Rugby final is the game of game for the Chiefs. Surely they weren't already planning for what comes next, when the Aussie teams get involved.
My Super Rugby MVP is an easy decision - the great Crusaders lock Sam Whitelock
His presence is immense. The Whitelock factor is a major reason why the Crusaders will win the Super Rugby final.
Jamaica is in a lot of league trouble
In case you had forgotten, there is a Rugby League World Cup this year, in England.
And New Zealand has been grouped with the might of Ireland, Lebanon and Jamaica.
The Kiwi pack is looking particularly strong. Nelson Asofa-Solomona, James Fisher-Harris, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Jessie Bromwich, Kenny Bromwich, Isaiah Papali'i, Tohu Harris, Brandon Smith…these are all leading lights in the NRL, and they are not alone amongst an impressive Kiwi forward contingent.
The backline is thinner on resources but also looking healthy, and a rejuvenated Benji Marshall - at the tender age of 36 - must be in line for the captaincy. Marshall had another fantastic game as the Rabbitohs crushed the understrength Raiders this weekend.
It begs the obvious question of course: With the Kiwi influence in the NRL reaching new levels of quality, how could the Warriors have got it so badly wrong over the years?
