With Cristiano Ronaldo sitting in the front row and around 2 am local time the British Anthony Joshua stop Otto Wallin with a technical KO in the fifth round and Joseph Parker surprised Deontay Wilder in a unanimous decision on the night with the double heavyweight fight in the background at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. So, Parker seems to be in a position to step forward and face the match winner on February 17 between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
The heavyweight division has never been unified this century. Parker, 31, looks the better fighter on the canvas while Wilder, 38, looks his age in a clash between the former heavyweight champions. Parker (34-3-0) dominated from the start, landing powerful punches with his right hand while keeping Wilder on his heel with a smart, methodical approach.
“Dangerous match, tough match, we trained hard for this,” Parker said. “We had great momentum for this fight. The strategy was to stay calm, be relaxed, focused… every minute of every round. It’s a great end to the year,” he added. Only one round where Wilder beat Parker. “My timing was a little off,” Wilder said. “He did a great job avoiding a lot of my blows. I felt like I had the upper hand, but things happen. We moved on to the next phase,” he said.
In the main bout, Wallin’s corner called for a stoppage at the end of the fifth round. Joshua, the favourite, needs more than one victory to convince doubters that his best days are behind him. The British boxer scored some style points against the 33-year-old Swede. Joshua (27-3-0) hasn’t been the same since holding the WBA, IBF and WBO titles. However, the 34-year-old boxer offered a back-and-forth fight, where he hit and advanced with confidence, while holding Wallin (26-2-0) at bay. A powerful combination of right and left in the fifth round stopped him.
“It’s just a different fight. I respect Otto,” Joshua said. “It’s not so much a setback, it’s just another day at the office. I’m a boxer with a special gift and I make the most of it. We just want to do whatever it takes to be victorious. As long as I can . I’m looking for greatness,” he said. English.
Source: La Verdad
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