- Parker wins unanimous points decision against American
- Joshua looks back to his best in five-round stoppage
Drama and hubris, those familiar staples of boxing, returned to the ring in Riyadh when the heavily favoured Deontay Wilder lost his heavyweight contest against Joseph Parker. In an embarrassingly one-sided fight, with Wilder looking a shell of his former self as his technical flaws were accentuated more graphically than ever before, Parker boxed with great composure and belief to receive the unanimous verdict by overwhelming margins of 118-111, 118-110 and 120-108.
The grand plans of Saudi Arabia and some of boxing’s most famous promoters have been ruined for this was meant to be the last remaining obstacle in Wilder’s path before he sealed an immensely lucrative fight against Anthony Joshua in Riyadh next March. Joshua kept his side of the deal when, in a contrasting performance of controlled brutality and mean intent, he beat up and outclassed Otto Wallin before the trainers of the disconsolate Swedish heavyweight waved the fight over at the end of the fifth round.
