RIYADH, Dec. 24 – Big Fight Weekend continues its coverage at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh in the fights leading up to the main event. Check out our summaries of Daniel Dubois’s stoppage of Jarrell Miller and Dmitry Bivol’s successful title defense. “Doomsday”is part of Riyadh Season, a state-funded sports and entertainment festival. Viewers can watch all the action on DAZN as a PPV, while those in the UK and Ireland can also buy it on TNT Sports Box Office. ESPN+ will also have the event as a PPV for those in the United States. It’s time for us to recap Deontay Wilder vs. Joseph Parker.
Joseph Parker surpasses Deontay Wilder
Total domination on ‘Judgment Day’
In a 12-round heavyweight fight devoid of action, joseph parker (34-3, 23 KOs) won by unanimous decision over Deontay Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs). The scores were 120-108, 118-111 and 118-110.
Wilder spent the first round circling the ring as Parker pursued him. He disembarked very little. This continued until the second round. Things picked up a bit in the third and fourth, but the closeout prevented both men from taking advantage of what they had achieved.
Parker was arguably winning the early rounds with activity alone. The most impressive work came from the New Zealander. On the other hand, “The Bronze Bomber” continued to circle the ring but didn’t land or throw much.
The former heavyweight champions broke loose late in the eighth. A right hand from Parker sent Wilder into a corner, where they both began punching each other. However, it was Parker’s punches that had a higher connection rate.
Despite a wild finish in the eighth, the rest of the fight wasn’t much different from the previous rounds. Wilder was constantly moving around the ring with Parker chasing him. In the last round, Wilder tried to land his famous right hand, but failed. Few blows were landed, but it was the former WBO champion who did the most impressive job, giving him the victory by unanimous decision, making this one of his most memorable victories.
Quotes
In the post-fight interview, Deontay Wilder said: “My timing was off a little.“Speaking of his opponent, he said:”He did a great job, avoiding many of my hits.”
When asked how he wanted to approach the rest of his career, “The Bronze Bomber” said: “We’ll see what happens.He went on to talk about how happy he was with his career.
Joseph Parker could not hide his joy in the ring: “Everyone had plans, other plans, but this is God’s plan.“
He went on to say: “this is huge.”
He also paid tribute to his opponent: “He is the toughest opponent I have ever faced.”
Parker continued to pay tribute to his team, saying: “Tyson Fury thanks for all your help..”
Check out our recap of the first four fights on the undercard of “Doomsday”, which included a surprise at heavyweight.
