Deontay Wilder and Joseph Parker during a press conference at OVO Arena, Wembley, London. Photo / Getty Images
Deontay Wilder and Joseph Parker during a press conference at OVO Arena, Wembley, London. Photo / Getty Images
In the calm before the detonation, Joseph Parker cut a comfortable figure as he regained a seat at heavyweight boxing’s lucrative top table. How long he resides there rests on his ability to survive the sport’s most lethal weapon, the one-punch eraser, a fate only two men have achieved.
Parker- and fellow Kiwi heavyweight Junior Fa - are preparing to feast on Saudi riches in a seriously stacked card on December 24 (NZT).
From a financial perspective, Christmas will come early as chairman of Riyadh Season, Turki Al-Sheikh, pumps millions of morally compromised oil-produced wealth into purses to lure 10 of the world’s best heavyweights to the Middle East.
In a sport consistently bogged down by frustrating mismatches and fractured sanctioning bodies this event, which pits a series of 60/40 contests, is boxing’s UFC moment. As the epicentre for the biggest fights definitively shifts to Saudi Arabia, where Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will square off early next year to crown the heavyweight world champion, boxing is casting aside its propensity to pad records before engaging in meaningful contests.
Money, belts or predictable wins cajole boxers into the ring. On this occasion money talks, with some 12 competing promoters clutching for their cash windfall in uncharted territory to pull this captivating event off at short notice.
While the boxing world continues to clamber for Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder to finally dance in the square office, Parker has the chance to steal the show and upset those plans in his latest defining moment.
Joseph Parker made a strong statement after his first-round knockout win over Faiga Opelu. Photo / Photosport
Fair play to Parker. The second-largest payday of his career - the Herald understands he will earn close to a staggering $10 million for this fight - is naturally a major lure but stepping in with a savage puncher such as Wilder once again proves his courage.
Throughout his 11-year professional career, Parker has never shied away from challenges. A glass jaw campaign secured an ultimately forgettable unification fight with Joshua in 2018. Andy Ruiz and Joe Joyce are other contenders on his credible resume. While the odds are now stacked against him, with two men in 46 attempts surviving Wilder’s devastating right hand, of the four elite heavyweights, Parker matches up best with the American.
The risk of fighting Wilder is clear. Parker will need to summon every ounce of warrior spirit to emerge on his feet next month. In a scheduled 12-round bout, logic suggests Wilder will connect with the punch that has laid out 42 previous opponents. And as Parker’s former foe Derek Chisora heckled from the Wembley press conference floor, at that point, it could well be lights out.
Fury, in a supernatural act, rose from the canvas after Wilder floored him in the first of their three-fight trilogy that ended in a contentious draw. No one else has managed that feat after copping a flush Wilder blow - and Fury appeared to need longer than the mandatory 10-second count to regain a semblance of poise.
Challenging Wilder now makes sense for Parker, though. While Wilder possesses unmatched power, he is not technically skilled. He’s a one-trick pony. That horse he rode all the way to the prestigious WBC heavyweight title which he then defended 10 times before Fury dethroned him.
Wilder knows his one-track path to maintaining his elite footprint in the division of giants and isn’t about to deviate.
“That’s what I come to do. That’s my only mission,” Wilder said of his knockout punch. “Winning is a good thing but it’s like basketball. It can shoot twos, I can shoot threes, but ain’t nothing like a dunk. Everyone is different. Everyone has their own personal thing they like to do. That’s what I’m known for. Not just in boxing, in real life as well.”
Deontay Wilder was seconds from finishing Tyson Fury. Photo / AP
Other than Fury, there is a strong argument Parker represents the toughest opponent of Wilder’s career. Former Cuban contender Luis Ortiz, who Wilder twice finished, is the only other name in that discussion.
With the right strategy and execution, Parker can trouble Wilder but he will need to produce the best performance of his career. There is no room for mental lapses, no room for fitness to fade.
How much does the 38-year-old Wilder have left? The Fury fights might have taken their toll. Perhaps he is beyond his best.
Wilder has fought twice in three years and had one round - his knockout victory over Robert Helenius - in the last two years. With six weeks to prepare for Parker, that ring rust could show.
The other advantage Parker will dig into is Fury - his close confidante. The only man to defeat Wilder boasts superb ring IQ and has a treasure trove of information to unpack on the American’s strengths and weaknesses.
After rebuilding his stocks by staying active and banking three wins over comparatively lightweight opponents Parker is promising to impose his speed and movement on Wilder.
Parker’s trainer Andy Lee, alongside Fury, will devise a plan likely to centre on closing the distance to sit on Wilder’s chest in an effort to mitigate his power while bringing pressure to clock up points.
Wilder’s defence is also questionable, which should present openings to load up. From a pure size perspective, though, Parker isn’t in Fury’s league.
If the fight goes the distance - a big if - Parker will almost certainly prevail.
Wilder will, however, tap into inside knowledge of his own with Fa, who lost a decision to Parker two years ago in Auckland, set to travel to the States to spar with Wilder in a five-week training camp. Wilder and Fa are managed by the same American promoter, Lou DiBella, and have trained together previously.
Fa’s career has stagnated since suffering successive losses to Parker and Australian journeyman Lucas Browne - the latter in June last year. Traversing from Fa’s last fight in a Stanmore Bay pub to one of the biggest cards in history, where he will challenge unbeaten Cuban heavyweight Frank Sanchez (23-0), is a chance that may not come again.
For Parker, the daunting quest is relatively simple, albeit treacherous. Survive Wilder’s feared right hand at all costs, and further riches and rewards in the form of a potential Joshua rematch will flow.
Don’t, and he will join the long list of Wilder highlight reel knockouts and slide back to the non-reservation heavyweight table.
