Former heavyweight champion Joseph Parker (34-3, 23 KOs) scored a sensational unanimous decision victory over the also former heavyweight champion Deontay "The Bronze Bomber" Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) in one of the main events on Saturday night at the Royal Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
38-year-old Wilder started the fight extremely slowly, and Parker outclassed him in almost every episode round after round. Parker rocked Wilder in the eighth round with a flurry of right hands. As a result, Parker never allowed Wilder to get a good shot with his killer right hand and won with a score of 118-111, 118-110, 120-108. The result likely derailed the scheduled Wilder-Joshua fight in March.
Deontay Wilder said he could now retire from boxing after his defeat to Joseph Parker: “We’ll see what happens, we still have a little bit left, but I’m doing great with my money. I'm happy. I'll be back, and if not, I had a great time. I don’t know [if I have the same fire as before], I have become much calmer. I've been smiling all week and I'm still smiling. Nothing can stop me from doing this."
