Wilder blames long flight for loss to Parker

Deontay Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) is known for two things - his devastating right hand and his absurd excuses after his failures. Of course, the former WBC heavyweight champion has previously said much more ridiculous things than in one of his last interviews, but it’s worth noting his justification for his loss to Joseph Parker (34-3, 23 KOs), for which he allegedly trained for only three weeks.

“It was a boring fight, nothing really happened in it. The next day I immediately returned to training. Parker didn't do anything, he just hit a few shots. During training, I had to interrupt him twice for a 20-hour trip, while the rest of the boxers were in Europe and had a 2-3-hour flight ahead of them. “I’m not complaining, I’m just saying what I had to go through in preparation,” Wilder said.

The Joshua vs. Ngannou fight won't take place until March 8, but Ngannou, for example, has been training in Saudi Arabia for several weeks, apparently to avoid hours-long flights before the fight.