Deontay Wilder suffered just the third defeat of his professional career when Joseph Parker earned a unanimous decision victory in their world heavyweight bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The American, a former WBC champion, was outclassed throughout, with Parker emerging victorious on all three scorecards, 118-111, 118-110 and 120-108.
The 38-year-old Wilder had earned a reputation as one of the most feared one-punch knockout artists of his generation, but looked nowhere near capable in his hugely disappointing first appearance in 14 months with plans for a highly anticipated meeting Living up to this lofty billing with Anthony Joshua is now certainly on hold.
Joshua, on the other hand, showed his best performance in years and stopped Otto Wallin after five rounds in the co-main event.
Wilder defeated Robert Helenius within three minutes in October 2022 but was a shadow of his former self at the Kingdom Arena while Parker, himself a former WBO world champion, was the constant attacker and deserved winner.
“I’m back,” said the New Zealander in the ring when the victory was confirmed.
“We trained very hard for this, we had momentum. I was really fit, stayed calm and relaxed. I concentrated every minute of every lap. People had plans, but that was God's plan. Merry Christmas to us.”
Parker was a deserving winner in Riyadh (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
The 31-year-old Parker landed the more consistent shots, delivered his jab regularly and, crucially, stayed well away from Wilder's dangerous right hand.
He has now won four fights in a row all year after losing to Joe Joyce in September 2022 and will now certainly have his sights set on even bigger fights in 2024.
Wilder's future looks much less clear as the fighter who pushed Tyson Fury to the forefront in a trilogy of fights in 2018, 2020 and finally 2021 may now be a thing of the past.
“My timing was a little off,” he said. “Joseph did a great job. Tonight there are no excuses, a good fight and we move on to the next step. Stay calm and throw a few punches and straighten your right hand. The timing wasn't right, he was able to dodge and duck well.
“I felt like I had the upper hand. I am a happy fighter. I am a warrior, I will be back soon. And if not, then it was a joy and a pleasure. I appreciate everyone for the love and support over the years.
“I calmed down. I have found a lot of happiness in my life. Whether you win, lose or draw, I will wear my smile.”
Joshua, 34, suffered two consecutive defeats against Oleksandr Usyk in September 2021 and August 2022, but the win over Wallin, a third victory in a far more active 2023, and the manner in which it took place confirmed a return to close to its best value.
The former WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight champion quickly got out of the trap and kept on the pedal with fierce pace to end the fifth round enough for the Swede to take the fight after a corner could finish.
Asked if it was the old Joshua, the Brit said: “It’s just another fight. I respect Otto. Not a relapse fight, just another day at the office.
“Definitely win. Like Otto, you want to do everything to be victorious. That’s all I want to be.”
Former pound-for-pound king and WBA (Super) light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol earned a comfortable points victory over Lyndon Arthur, while Daniel Dubois stopped American Jarrell Miller in the final round of a heavyweight contest.
Joshua put in an impressive performance to beat Wallin (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Joshua is back
Analysis by fight writer Greg Rosenstein
This was Joshua's best performance in years. From the opening bell, he picked Wallin apart with sharp jabs and hard right hands. Joshua almost dropped his opponent with a brutal left hook in the fifth round, but Wallin survived until the bell. His corner stopped it after taking a look at his pulverized face.
Joshua was all smiles after the win, and he should be. He has three wins in 2023 and will start the new year on a high. Is another title in sight? If he keeps fighting like this, the answer is yes.
What went wrong for Wilder?
Wilder's game plan was wrong from the start. Maybe it was ring rust from a long layoff, but he was incredibly hesitant from the start. As mentioned on the show, he acted as if Parker was the dominant knockout artist, having achieved 42 finishes in his career, rather than the other way around. Wilder didn't even throw a serious combination until the fourth round, and even that didn't do much good.
Wilder was just looking for that one big knockout punch, and unfortunately for him, he never got it. When he finally increased his offensive attack in the final laps, it was too late.
Give Parker and his coach Andy Lee a lot of credit. Shockingly, he was the aggressor the entire time and staggered Wilder several times, including with a monster overhand in the eighth round, which he followed up with heavy punches. He showed up on Saturday evening. Wilder didn't.
Will we see Wilder fight again?
Judging by his performance against Parker and his post-fight comments to DAZN's Chris Mannix, I'm not so sure.
“We’ll see what happens,” he said. “We still have a little bit left, but I've managed my money great. I am a happy fighter. I’ll be back, and if not, it was a pleasure.”
Asked if he still had fires to fight, he replied: “I don’t know.”
Wilder had an amazing career. He didn't start boxing until he was 20 and went on to win a medal at the Olympics, become heavyweight champion and is considered arguably the greatest puncher of his generation. If he decides to call it quits, he can be proud of everything he has achieved in the sport.
(Top photo: Richard Pelham/Getty Images)