Joseph Parker and his trainer, Andy Lee, received high praise from fans and media for their victory over former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder last weekend in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Parker and Lee are being considered geniuses for the victory, as Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) seemed mentally tied up and couldn’t land any of his power shots. In fact, he only landed 39 punches in the entire fight, and many of them were at close range while Parker was clinching.
Wilder’s sad night
Perhaps the real reason Wilder’s offense shut down is these things:
1. Bad game plan2. Age3. Ring inactivity/rust4. Moving too much5. Lack of motivation
With all of those things going against Wilder, it didn’t matter what strategy Parker used in the fight; He was going to win because Deontay had too many things going against him.
Deontay seemed like a typical millionaire wrestler who had lost his love for the sport and was no longer active, working hard or trying hard.
Parker is a good basic lower tier heavyweight, but he is such a great wrestler that fans and media introduce him after his win over Deontay.
If it had been a good young, hungry, talented heavyweight that he fought last Saturday, Parker would have looked like the same fighter that Joe Joyce and Dillian Whyte beat. That’s his level.
Coach Andy Lee’s guiding hand
“Andy. [Lee] He is a brilliant technician. You can hear it when he makes comments. He gives a lot of what he knows,” Gareth A. Davies told Pro Boxing Fans, speaking of Joseph Parker’s trainer, Andy Lee, who guided him to victory over Deontay Wilder last Saturday night.
“For about a year, his [Parker] The body has looked incredible. His skin shines, but Andy Lee is a brilliant addition to Parker. “I think it helps for him that he is also in that Fury mix in Lancashire for his fight camps.”
Lee is a good trainer, but Parker was there to be beaten all night if Wilder had pulled the trigger with his right hand. Parker was in Wilder’s range virtually all night, especially when he was attacking. This was the same Parker that Joe Joyce, 38, knocked out in the 11th round last year.
Avoiding Wilder’s right hand
“Although they had a good laugh at Tyson Fury saying, ‘I gave him some advice.’ Avoid the right hand.’ That’s pretty much what he did. In a way he came in and went under it. The way Joseph moved, he was stifling that right and sinking into it every time. So Wilder was stifling his own work by immersing himself in it,” Gareth said.
“Parker never gave him that space. It was drilled perfectly. It was a great performance. I thought it was the best of his career because that’s what it was. That was the best performance of my career, the way he handled Wilder,” Gareth said.
Parker gave Wilder space all night, but he couldn’t make his shots. Once again, one of the main reasons Deontay couldn’t pitch was because he was hanging around the ring all night. When you move so much, it’s hard to throw. Wilder seemed tired by his movement.
His coach, Malik Scott, should have identified this problem and told him to stop moving, but he didn’t. Malik didn’t make any adjustments, since he didn’t have the sense to know that his game plan was garbage.
“I’m not going to buy these things from people. “Oh, Wilder is a one-trick pony.” He is a really dangerous man,” Gareth said. “Everyone except Parker is down. “Parker is the first fighter in Wilder’s career who hasn’t been knocked down by him,” Gareth said.
What Gareth doesn’t mention is Wilder’s inactivity, age and crazy game plan. Wilder was never that good to begin with, as his best win is arguably that of 40-year-old Luis Ortiz.
If Deontay had beaten Parker, it would have been the best win on his resume, which is pathetic because Joseph is not a top heavyweight.
Future matchups: a host of options
“I think they can put Parker with Andy Ruiz. You can put him with Agit Kabayel. That’s a very good matchup. Who else is in the group? Hrgovic again if Joshua goes elsewhere. There are a lot of good matchups,” Gareth said.
It is unlikely that Parker will agree to fight Kabayel. Andy Ruiz will be an option if it’s for a lot of money because Parker will lose to him and won’t want to take risks against a fighter of this level unless he’s making a lot of money.
“Parker is now in the top eight in the world in this situation,” Gareth said. “They have created a super league. It’s almost like if you could be in the top eight, top twelve or top ten in the division, you’d come back here for two fights a year. It’s amazing for all of them. It’s an incredible period to be in.
“Against any of them in the top ten, I would look at it,” Gareth said when told Francis Ngannou is being mentioned as a possibility for Anthony Joshua’s next fight.
