It is unusual for big boxing matches to be officially announced when both the participants have a fight coming up. Plans for a match between Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua might well be on hold now after the latter lost in Saudi Arabia last night.
Joshua kept up his end of the bargain. The English heavyweight stopped Otto Wallin, putting on the type of performance that suggests he might be back to his best.
Joshua started landing straight right hands to the body in the opening round. He kept Wallin at bay with his jab and as the fight progressed the action became increasingly one sided.
Wallin looked to have lost every single round and was taking concerted punishment from Joshua when his corner decided to call it off at the end of the fifth. It appears the Swedish heavyweight might have suffered a broken jaw.
Back to his old ways?
Anthony Joshua delivers powerful shots on his way to an early stoppage win.#RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/lD4VHbXYKw
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) December 24, 2023
Major upset
While Joshua kept up his end of the bargain Wilder was beaten by Joshua Parker. It is a fight the American had been expected to win but he barely managed to win a single round.
The New Zealander is a former WBO heavyweight champion and has put himself back in the title picture with this win. Parker is not as big a draw as Wilder and there might be limited appetite for a fight between him and Joshua.
A fight between Joshua and Wilder had already been announced. The two were set to face off in Saudi Arabia on March 9th and it isn’t clear whether that match will go ahead after the latter’s lopsided decision loss.
Scorecards coming up live on @DAZNBoxing PPV & TNT Sports Box Office 👀#DayOfReckoning #WilderParker #RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/MURvMrdxoV
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) December 23, 2023
First defeat
Joshua wasn’t the only Englishman celebrating. Daniel Dubois handed Jarrell Miller the first defeat of his entire career, finishing the American with just eight seconds remaining in the eighth and final round.
Miller came into the contest with an unblemished 28-0 record. He suffered his first defeat at the hands of Dubois and afterwards the Englishman called out compatriots Joshua and Tyson Fury.
Fury will be fighting Oleksandr Usyk in Riyadh on February 17th. It isn’t clear what is next for Joshua but Wilder might be contemplating retirement after the most disappointing night of his career.
