Joseph Parker showed his class in a brutal rematch with Derek Chisora, edging out his opponent on points after an enthralling 12 rounds.

Parker won on a split decision in May, and he came out on top on a unanimous points decision in Manchester on Saturday to hold onto his WBO Intercontinental Heavyweight title.

Chisora, who had the backing of a partisan, 12,000-strong crowd, was knocked down in the fourth, seventh and eighth rounds, with Parker's uppercut proving too hot to handle.

It was those blows that ultimately settled the bout in Parker's favour, as he moved onto 30 wins from 32 fights.

After a cautious first-round approach, the fight burst into action in the second, with Chisora backing Parker up against the ropes before the New Zealander landed some big shots in return.

Parker landed big uppercuts in the third and fourth, with the latter sending Chisora down, yet he battled through, soaking up more punches in the fifth, leaving his opponent frustrated.

A superb right hand in the closing seconds of what had been a sixth paved the way for Parker to land a huge uppercut in the seventh, with Chisora having to beat the count and ride up on the canvas, but once again he showed brutal resilience, replying with a rally late in the round.

Chisora was scrambling back on the ropes after a third massive uppercut blow, and though the 37-year-old managed to go the distance, Parker's aggressive approach paid off, with scores of 115-110, 115-111, 114-112 sealing his victory.