A critical look at the last week in boxing
TOP WINNERAnthony Joshua
No one is surprised that Anthony Joshua defeated Otto Wallin on Saturday night’s massive card in Saudi Arabia. The former heavyweight champion has far superior tools than his Swedish opponent, which resulted in a fifth-round knockout. It was the way Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs) carried himself that opened our eyes. He fought with the confidence and purpose of an elite fighter who believes in himself and has found peace, which doesn’t seem to have been the case since the days before Andy Ruiz Jr. knocked him out in 2019. Of course, No. You should let yourself go. Again, Wallin (26-2, 14 KOs) was a limited threat. And Joshua was not forced to overcome any type of adversity, which would be the ultimate test of his current mettle. Still, the Joshua we saw on Saturday, under new coach Ben Davison, looked a lot like the Olympic gold medalist who became the great man in the mid-2010s. We can’t discount his loss to Ruiz and the consecutive setbacks against the talented Oleksandr Usyk, which will always be part of Joshua’s story. We can say that he seems to be writing a new chapter, one in which he could once again be a dominant heavyweight.
BIGGEST WINNER IIJoseph Parker
Parker (34-3, 23 KOs) had the skill and experience to perfectly execute an excellent game plan. The former heavyweight champion did not overcome Deontay Wilder despite the one-sided results in his favor in the co-main event in Riyadh. He landed a total of 89 punches, seven per round, according to CompuBox. That’s not exactly a beating. No, the beauty of his performance was his ability to avoid Wilder’s dangerous right hand and do enough offensively to win round after round, just as coach Andy Lee prepared. Parker simply stayed out of Wilder’s reach or corralled him inside him, making it difficult for Wilder to get into position to deliver what had become his inevitable knockout blow. Parker fired only 39 shots. Meanwhile, he found opportune and relatively safe moments to land his own blows. His right hand was the best blow of the fight. Thus, Parker was able to tame one of the most feared fighters of the time and reaffirm himself as a legitimate championship contender. The 31-year-old New Zealander couldn’t have had a much better night.
THE BIGGEST LOSERDeontay Wilder
Have we seen the last of Deontay Wilder? Richard Pelham/Getty Images
Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) is anything but a loser despite what you may hear or read on social media. He did exactly what we all strive to do in our careers: he made the most of his ability. He came to boxing late, meaning he never had the fundamental foundation of most of his opponents. Still, he won a bronze medal at the Olympics, had a five-year reign as world champion as a professional, earned a reputation as one of the hardest punchers of all time, knocked down Tyson Fury four times in three fights, gave Fury the absolute victory. hell in his third meeting and one day they will be inducted into the International Hall of Fame. And it won’t be defined by his performance against Parker. I always believed that one day Wilder would fail to land a giant right hand from him or another big shot and, as a result, he would lose a decision to a good opponent. It must be recognized that it happened 15 years after his career. He was not fooling people all this time, as some have suggested. We all knew what his limitations were. His ability to overcome them was what made him so impressive. If he is done – and perhaps it would be wise to retire at 38 – he should be proud of what he accomplished.
RABBIT PUNCHES
More thoughts on Joshua and Wilder: Where did Joshua’s inner calm come from? I suspect he has agreed with his compatriot Davison, for starters. And I think he has a different perspective on his career. The worst is over. He was knocked out and now he has three setbacks that, as it turned out, did not destroy his career. The pressure is gone. He can now fight to win instead of fighting not to lose, the latter of which is no way to approach a fight. I don’t know if he can beat Fury or Usyk, although his second meeting with the Ukrainian was close. I just think that self-doubt wouldn’t play as big a role as it did in the past. …Wilder’s critics have suggested that Parker is the best opponent he faced other than Fury, their way of saying that he was exposed to a genuine threat. Again, a fighter is not exposed if you understand his limitations beforehand. And while Parker might be his second most formidable foe, he’s not much better than Luis Ortiz, whom Wilder defeated twice. And let’s not forget: Wilder had fought less than a full round in more than two years before the fight. I wonder how he would have fared if he had been as busy as Parker, who had four fights this year. The latest on Wilder: Will he be remembered as a great fighter? No. Will he be remembered as one of the most exciting? Absolutely. …
Filip Hrgovic (17-0, 14 KOs) could end up a big winner as a result of the show in Riyadh. The rising Croatian heavyweight did his job on the undercard, stopping the ridiculously outmatched Mark De Mori (41-3-2, 36 KOs) in the first round. Then Parker did him a favor by annoying Wilder. That could give Hrgovic a meeting with Joshua, who was set to fight Wilder if things went well on Saturday. If Hrgovic gets that fight and wins – a big if – he will move to the front of the line among those vying for a shot at a world title. … Cruiserweight belt holder Jai Opetaia (24-0, 19 KOs) didn’t give us much of a chance to admire his overall ability on the Joshua-Wallin and Parker-Wilder undercard, stopping Ellis Zorro (17-1 , 7 KOs). ) with a monstrous left that left Zorro motionless with his head resting on the bottom rope in the first round. At least Opetaia made a strong impression. The Australian’s mission now is to take the next step in his career, which would be a victory over a renowned opponent. But who? Gilberto Ramirez (45-1, 30 KOs) might be the most intriguing possibility at the moment. The durable Mexican is a former 168-pound champion who failed in a bid to take the 175-pound title from Dmitry Bivol and is now campaigning as a 200-pound fighter. He bested Joe Smith Jr. in October. Ramirez has a high enough profile to draw attention to the matchup and could cause problems for Opetaia. …
Also on the Joshua-Wallin and Parker-Wilder undercard… Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) had no problems with Lydon Arthur (23-2, 16 KOs), winning a shutout decision in defense of his US title. 175 pounds. It is not surprising. The winner’s inability to eliminate his counterpart was probably a disappointment in the Bivol camp, but it doesn’t detract from another dominant performance. His skill level is above the stratosphere. I expect next up is a meeting with Artur Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KOs) for the undisputed championship, assuming Beterbiev beats Callum Smith on January 13. I think Bivol will win that fight because he is a better all-around fighter than Beterbiev, but it will be the ultimate test. … Daniel Dubois (20-2, 19 KOs) gave arguably the strongest performance of his career, outpointing and then stopping 333-pound Jarrell Miller in the 10th and final round of a grueling fight. The winner outscored his opponent 208-107, according to CompuBox. The victory was a significant step towards title contention following his knockout loss against Usyk, in which some fans believe he quit. Meanwhile, it’s hard to be sympathetic to Miller, who failed two drug tests. …
Agit Kabayel (24-0, 16 KOs) pulled off a stunning upset, stopping the burly Arslanbek Makhmudov (18-1, 17 KOs) in the fourth round of their heavyweight showdown to raise his profile. It was Kabayel’s overall skill versus Makhumdov’s strength and power that proved to be a mismatch. … Talented heavyweight contender Frank Sánchez (24-0, 17 KOs) defeated Junior Fa (20-3, 11 KOs) in the seventh round, another impressive performance from the Cuban. He is clearly ready to take on a next level opponent. …And finally, my thoughts and prayers are with 92-year-old Hall of Fame television analyst and accomplished journalist Larry Merchant, who was reportedly rushed to the hospital and placed in an intensive care unit this week. No further details were available. Merchant is the best analyst of all time. And those in the business who have had the privilege of spending time with him appreciate his friendship.
