Joseph Parker was a clear winner in Saudi Arabia as he dominated Deontay Wilder to end all hopes of an Anthony Joshua showdown next year. The Kiwi got the nod via unanimous decision with scorecards of 118-111, 118-110, 120-108 in his favour.
It took Wilder just fifty seconds to clean out Robert Helenius the last time he stepped between the ropes but spectators would have to wait over a minute to see the American throw his first punch of the fight against Parker in what looked to be a far more cautious approach from the former WBC champion than that of his destructive display at the Barclays Centre last October.
All of the talk leading up to the fight was about Wilder’s inactivity, having only completed one round in just over two years since his trilogy fight with Tyson Fury and through four rounds there were signs of ring rust.
Wilder spent the opening portion of the bout shaking off the cobwebs and struggled to find his target early doors. A good right hand from Parker at the quarter-way mark seemed to momentarily daze the American, who looked uneasy on his feet for a moment.
It took until the sixth round for Wilder to land anything of note, a decent right hand, that was worn well by the Kiwi but heading into the second half of the fight it was hard to make a case for a Wilder round. Parker remained on the front foot throughout, landing a sharp jab to the body, to set up a right hand over the top.
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In the eighth stanza, Parker detonated a punishing overhand that buckled Wilder’s knees. Sensing a stoppage, Parker poured on the pressure as Wilder hung on for dear life to see the bell.
Wilder cruised the ninth round and made his way to the stool looking far steadier on his feet. But into the tenth and eleventh, it was more of the same. Wilder’s accuracy was way off the mark and he entered the final round needing a knockout to win it.
Down the home straight, Wilder threw caution to the wind, loading up and letting his hands go. The urgency came too late though as he dropped a convincing points loss to the New Zealander in the Middle East.