Joseph Parker has claimed any low blows he threw in his first win of 2018 were not intentional.

Parker has knocked out Alexander Flores in the third round to win a controversial heavyweight clash at Horncastle Arena in Christchurch.

Parker's trainer Kevin Barry was adamant the low blows in the third round would not take the gloss off Parker's victory but they will be a major talking point.

Parker was adamant any low blows were "unintentional, but I knew there was a few".

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"But he didn't get knocked out with a body shot," Parker said.

PHOTOSPORT Joseph Parker knocks out Alexander Flores.

Barry said he would challenge anyone who held the opinion that the low blows contributed to Parker's much-needed victory.

"Were there a couple of blows today that were a little low? Yea, there was a couple of low ones," he said.

Post-fight, Parker, who was having his first fight on New Zealand soil in 18-months, claimed it was his job to fight and the referees to judge whether blows were below the belt.

Referee John Conway, who waved the fight off with 2:51 seconds gone in round three, had previously warned Parker twice for low blows.

He told Stuff Parker would have lost a point had there been a third time.

Parker, the former WBO world heavyweight champion of the world, knocked Flores down in the third round with a right hand to the head that was set up on the back of two unquestionably low shots.

PHOTOSPORT Joseph Parker finished 2018 on positive note with a win over Alexander Flores in Christchurch.

He beat the count but he was soon back on the ropes late in the third round and Parker finished the fight with a stinging right hand that landed flush on the chin.

Flores claimed he was hit with three or four low blows but still congratulated Parker on his win.

"He hit me with a low blow. I felt it. As soon as I felt the shot I put my right hand down, he came with a left hand, then a straight right. It'll show on the video," Flores said post-fight.

But Barry was not convinced.

"He didn't knock him out with a low blow, he knocked him out with a right hand on the chin and spun his eyes in the back of his head and he was down for about two minutes with his eye split open."

"If anything it might silence a few people that said Joseph Parker's too much of a nice guy," Barry said.

Barry was referring to Parker being criticised for being too nice after his loss to Dillian Whyte back in August.

Whyte roughed up Parker in the fight and Parker seemingly didn't have the answers to bully the bully.

GETTY IMAGES Joseph Parker punches Alexander Flores.

But there was no Mr nice guy against Flores.

The three round demolition job was Parker's first stoppage win since he floored Alexander Dimitrenko in the third round back in October 2016.

The 25th win of Parker's career was an important one following two consecutive losses in 2018 to four-belt world champion Anthony Joshua and Whyte.

Flores, a Mexican fighter based in the US, offered some resistance early in the fight but was clearly lacking the power of Parker.

Barry said Team Parker is flush with options for 2019 but hinted at a fight with Australian Lucas Browne (27-1) in the first quarter of the year.

One fight earlier, fellow Kiwi heavyweight Junior Fa moved to 16-0 as he defended his WBO Oriental heavyweight title with a first-round knockout over Rogelio Omar Rossi.

Fa, who recently spent time sparring WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder ahead of his draw with Tyson Fury, dropped Rossi, of Argentina, early in the round before a heavy right hunt ended in 1 minute and 28 seconds into the fight.

Following the win, Fa said he wants to fight Parker in 2019 but revealed his team are already in negotiations for a major fight in the US around March.

Fa's manager Mark Keddell was staying tight-lipped on details until the deal is done but confirmed it would be in America around March or April.