Joseph Parker effortlessly defeated Deontay Wilder today in Saudi Arabia, securing a significant upset with scores of 118-111, 118-110, and 120-108 in Riyadh, effectively derailing plans for a March bout between Wilder and Anthony Joshua.
Parker (34-3, 23 KO) didn’t employ any particularly remarkable tactics, simply avoiding Wilder’s potent power and exploiting Wilder’s tendency to wait for reactive opportunities, reminiscent of his previous rematch with Luis Ortiz.
Notably, the anticipated opening for Wilder never materialized. The 38-year-old Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KO) appeared hesitant, lacked strategic setup, exhibited diminished speed, and displayed poor timing.
Credit for the outcome goes to Parker, trainer Andy Lee, and their team, but Wilder bears some responsibility for not executing a discernible game plan. Despite the evident result, Wilder reacted with surprise when the scores were announced.
“I want to say respect to Wilder, he’s a dangerous fighter,” Parker said. “Tough fight, but we trained very hard for this. We were purely focused and had great momentum. Everyone had other plans, but this is God’s plan. I stayed calm, stayed relaxed, switched on for every second of every round. We got the win. Merry Christmas to us.”
“I had to be aware at all times,” Parker added. “He did catch me a few times on the guard, and I’ll tell you this, it’s a very hard right hand. If he landed clean, it would have been different, but today was my day. This is massive. This is the toughest opponent I’ve faced.”
“My timing was off a little bit. Big ups to Joseph, he did a great job avoiding a lot of my punches tonight. We make no excuses,” Wilder said. “We did what we did and we move on to the next. We live to see another day, and that’s what it’s all about. Ready to go home to my children and love all over them.”
“He did a good job avoiding and ducking and stuff like that. I did feel like I had the upper-hand, but things happen. You move on to the next thing,” he added.
When asked about potential distractions from Joshua talk, Wilder admitted, “Just a little bit. There was a lot of talk about different things, but we make no excuses tonight.” Wilder’s future in boxing remains uncertain, as he expressed hesitancy about a definitive return to the ring.