by Drama and arrogance, those staples of boxing, returned to the ring in Riyadh when favorite Deontay Wilder lost his heavyweight fight against Joseph Parker. In an embarrassingly one-sided fight, with Wilder looking a shell of his former self as his technical flaws became more graphic than ever, Parker boxed with composure and faith to receive the unanimous verdict by overwhelming margins of 118-111, 118- 110 and 120-108.
The big plans of Saudi Arabia and some of boxing’s most famous promoters have been ruined because this was to be the last remaining obstacle in Wilder’s path before sealing an immensely lucrative fight against Anthony Joshua in Riyadh next March. Joshua held up his end of the deal when, in a contrasting performance of controlled brutality and mean intent, he outworked and outclassed Otto Wallin before the disconsolate Swedish heavyweight’s trainers called off the fight at the end of the fifth round.
Related: Joshua stops Wallin, Wilder surprised by Parker: heavyweight boxing doubleheader – live
However, an impressive performance from Joshua would have earned him even more plaudits if Wilder, instead of Wallin, had been in the opposite corner. There was no doubt that Joshua would have added the American’s most illustrious name to his resume if their long-awaited fight had not been delayed until March. But the arrogant assumption that Wilder and Joshua would prevail, and make even more money for everyone in the process, was shattered by the admirable and much-improved Parker.
Wilder had walked to the ring with a heavy gold crown on his head as if he were already the supreme fighter of the night. However, he barely threw a punch in the first round as he peered down at Parker, who had previously won a version of the world title. Parker was a little more aggressive, fighting on the front foot in the early rounds, and his trainer, Andy Lee, urged him to take more risks. Lee stressed to his fighter that he could knock out Wilder if he backed him up against the ropes. But Parker knew he needed to maintain single-minded focus as Wilder, more than any other heavyweight in the world, has the ability to score a chilling one-punch knockout at any time.
In the fourth round, Parker attempted to follow Lee’s advice and, with Wilder pinned against the ropes, released his hands in a brief movement. He nailed Wilder most effectively with a right hand near the end of the round and, momentarily, it seemed as if the American was unsteady on his long, thin legs. Midway through the fifth, Parker again landed a solid blow as Wilder struggled with his timing after boxing just one round since losing to Tyson Fury in an epic fight in October 2021. That wild trilogy against Fury, who knocked him out twice, had clearly been detrimental to Wilder.
Wilder eclipsed the sixth round, but was well behind on the scorecards as they advanced to the second half of a strangely lopsided fight. He was clearly hoping to unleash a huge right hand that would chill Parker. But the best punch of the round again came from Parker.
Wilder finally caught Parker with a hard hit in the eighth, but the New Zealander absorbed the impact. A minute later, Parker unleashed a ferocious flurry of punches, starting with a huge right hand that rocked Wilder. Parker followed and Wilder staggered against the ropes. It was a bold but confident attack that showed the faith that coursed through him as the bell rang, much to Wilder’s relief.
It took most of the ninth round for a passive Wilder to recover because he again barely landed a meaningful punch. In the last 30 seconds it seemed that he had finally cleared his head and, when the bell rang, he landed his best right hand of the night. Parker remained alert and calm as the fight neared its end. Wilder won the 10th round but badly needed a signature knockout.
He threw desperate punches in the final round and finally found the urgency that had been missing during his woeful performance. But once again, the hardest hit he took came from Parker. Wilder pumped his fist in the air at the end, but deep down he knew that he had lost a lot.
Twenty minutes later, shortly before 2.30am in Riyadh, Joshua and Wallin finally entered the ring. Joshua, looking sharp and focused, started much more positively than in recent fights. His left jab looked fluid and he targeted both the body and head with his heavier right hand as Wallin hesitated against the former world champion. The Swedish heavyweight began bleeding from his nose midway through the second round as Joshua’s punches took their immediate toll on him. Now trained by Ben Davison, who used to work in Fury’s corner, Joshua cut a different figure from the cautious fighter he had been in his previous two fights this year.
Wallin put in a creditable performance against Fury in 2019, but he’s a relatively limited fighter whose southpaw stance is his only distinguishing feature. He again failed to test Joshua in the next two rounds as the British fighter methodically dominated. Wallin took a deep breath as he walked back to his corner, looking lost and tired, at the end of the fourth round.
He was left seriously injured in the fifth when the combination of a crunching right cross and a left hook landed with brutal consequences. Wallin was shocked to the core and had to endure much more punishment before the bell brought him merciful respite. The beating administered by Joshua would surely lead to a knockout, but Wallin’s corner made the wise decision to end the fight shortly after he sank into his stool with his face cut, bruised, swollen and sad. Joshua’s victory had been his most impressive performance in years, but it must be reiterated that Wallin is nowhere near the caliber of Fury, Oleksandr Usyk or even Parker.
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After losing his world titles to Usyk, who beat him in successive fights in 2021 and 2022, Joshua has been in a slow process of rebuilding his career. He can look ahead to 2024 and hope that he will eventually fight the winner of February’s world title unification fight between Fury and Usyk, which will again take place in Riyadh.
Eddie Hearn, his promoter, once again calls him the best heavyweight in the world. However, now that he is dropping his matchup against Wilder, Joshua will have to prove that he can put on a similarly authoritative performance against opposition far superior to Wallin. Parker is the obvious next step, but that potential rematch between the two men would again be a risk for Joshua.
Later, in the ring, Joshua remained calm and described boxing as “a treacherous business.” Wilder will understand the painful truth of those words, as his explosive career, though deeply flawed, is surely now much closer to a sad end.
