Deontay Wilder lost his heavyweight bout against Joseph Parker in a stunning upset that sent shockwaves across the boxing world. Wilder was thoroughly outclassed in the unanimous decision defeat and was humble enough to admit it after the fight. "He did a great job avoiding a lot of my punches. We make no excuses tonight. It was a good fight, and we move on to the next thing," Wilder said. Despite having fought just one round since November 2021, Wilder was still the -700 favorite entering the bout. However, Parker never gave the Bronze Bomber a chance to properly uncork his signature right hook.
"Coming into this fight, everyone had other plans, but this is God's plan. Today, what a win. Merry Christmas to us," Parker said after the fight. The win marked Parker's fourth of the year and saw him add the WBC International Heavyweight belt to his growing list of titles. It's unclear what Parker's next move will be. However, he was sure of one thing after the fight. "I'm back," he declared.
Deontay Wilder Loss Jeopardizes Anthony Joshua Fight
However, Wilder's loss is so much bigger than just the American boxer. He entered the fight with Parker with a deal in place to fight Anthony Joshua next March if both men won. Joshua did his part later in the night, pummelling Otto Wallin so badly that Wallin's corner threw in the towel after five rounds. With Wilder's loss, it has led to Joshua already eyeing new options.
After the fight, Joshua said he was still open to a fight with Wilder. However, promoter Eddie Hearn quickly pivoted the conversation to a different fight instead. With a belt likely to become vacant due to the Fury-Usyk fight, Hearn has already begun hyping a title bout between Joshua and Filip Hrgović, the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist. Despite this, Joshua still expressed hope that Wilder could eventually rebound into being title-contention caliber again. "You can do anything, and if [Wilder] wants to come back he can do it," Joshua noted.
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