4 months ago
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ANTHONY JOSHUA lost his NINE FIGURE two-fight Deontay Wilder deal after Joseph Parker battered the Bronze Bomber all over Saudi Arabia.
The 38-year-old American was supposed to beat Tyson Fury’s31-year-old favourite training partner and pal before AJ won the other semi-final against Otto Wallin.
Getty
Getty
GettyBut the Gypsy King and trainer Andy Lee – thanks to back-to-back KO wins over the Alabama giant – armed Parker with the dream gameplan to utterly dominate the American and destroy the double-deal that was pencilled in to start on March 9.
Joshua and Wilder should have bossed in a 15 month window around 2018 when they both held all four heavyweight world titles.
But that fantasy fight is now a nightmare after the judges called the one-sided schooling: 118-111, 118-110, 120-108.
The 38-year-old Bronze Bomber wore a golden crown to the ring – risking derision after blaming his 2020 knockout loss to Parker’s pal Tyson Fury on the heavy outfit he wore for his ring walk.
The Gypsy King holds two wins and a controversial draw over the 6ft 7in Alabama puncher – but had to climb off the canvas four times.
And the Morecambe boxing mastermind gave his training partner one very clear piece of advice: “Avoid that right hand and don’t get knocked out”.
There was barely a punch thrown in the first 90 seconds, before Parker fizzed a one-two into Wilder’s guard and then looped in a right hand.
Wilder wants to be known as Dr Sleep these days and dismal rounds that will definitely secure him the moniker.
The Kiwi underdog was the busier and better man in the second dull round too, with the small crowd even daring to boo after the bell ended the sluggish opening six minutes.
Parker took the centre of the Riyadh ring at the start of the third too and refused to relinquish it, even when the terrifying American cocked his right fist and swung it from the rafters.
Wilder dropped the fifth round too, thanks to Parker marching forward with a tight defence and leaping in with a left-hook-right-hand combination.
The American boasted of taking hallucinogens on a camping retreat in the build-up to this fight but he was giving himself a very real mountain to climb as the rounds ebbed away from him.
By the fifth it had started looking like Joseph Parker was in a sparring session, using an unknown amateur with power to impersonate the real Deontay Wilder, ahead of the real thing.
Finally, in the last 30 seconds of round six, we saw the petrifying right-hand equaliser lash out at Parker.
But – with mastermind young trainer Andy Lee in his corner – Parker had the gameplan and skills to escape the deadly assault.
Wilder insisted – despite just one round in two years – that a bit of ring rust would never affect him. But he looked a total write off as he sat off Parker, missed wildly and looked vulnerable to every dig Parker threw at him.
Wildly finally landed a scoring shot IN ROUND EIGHT but then he was almost knocked spark out for his trouble.
Parker pushed him back into his blue corner and unleashed a torrent of looping booming blows that had Wilder asleep on his feet – soundo.
The bell had to ring to wake him up and save him but his stick-thin legs needed much more than a minute to recover and his brain must have been scrambled.
Somehow Wilder was resuscitated for round nine and even ended the stanza looping a trademark right in Parker’s direction but his high right glove parried the blow.
Wilder finally went hell-for-leather in the 12th and landed a few haymakers but one blow was so comically wide it drew laughs.
And the final bell teed up a sensational upset win for Parker or a sickening robbery.
THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY…
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