Joseph Parker ruins Anthony Joshua-Deontay Wilder fight as Jai Opetaia stuns boxing

Any hope of a mega-fight between Anthony Joshua and Denotay Wilder appears dead and buried after Joseph Parker stunned Wilder and the boxing world on Saturday. Kiwi fighter Parker beat Wilder via unanimous decision (118-111, 118-110, 120-108) in the co-main event of the 'The Day of Reckoning' at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Wilder entered the fight with 42 of his 43 wins coming via knockout, but was out-boxed by Parker in every round on Saturday. Wilder appeared to be waiting for his opportunity to add another KO to his ledger, but time ran out for the American and Parker took advantage.

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Wilder has now lost three of his last four fights, leading to speculation that he could retire from boxing. Fans had been hoping that Wilder would beat Parker and set up a mega-fight with Joshua, who stopped Otto Wallin in the fifth round of the co-main event later on Saturday (Sunday morning Aussie time).

But Parker appears to have ruined those hopes with his staggering victory. “A lot of respect to Wilder, a dangerous fight, but we trained hard for this fight,” Parker said afterwards. “A lot of people had plans, other plans, but this is God’s plan. Today I got the win, merry Christmas to us.

“Maybe inactivity played a big part? It’s a great finish to the year. Practice, practice practice, work work work. I had to be switched on the whole fight.

“He did catch me on the glove and I could feel the power, if he landed it might have been different. Tyson Fury, thanks for all your help.”

Wilder said he thought he'd done enough to win. “I did [do enough],” he said. “My timing was off a little bit. He did a good job avoiding my punches. No excuses. It wasn’t my night. [The plan was to] stay calm and throw a couple of jabs and set up the right hand."

When asked if talks over a fight with Joshua had distracted him, Wilder said: “A little bit, a lot of talk about a lot of different things. I’m a happy fighter. I’m a warrior, I’ll be back soon. And if not then, it’s been an enjoyment and a pleasure. I appreciate everybody for the love and support over the years.”

Jai Opetaia delivers stunning first-round knockout

Earlier, rising Aussie star Jai Opetaia flattened a hapless Ellis Zorro, delivering a brutal first-round knockout. The cruiserweight was left fuming when he was forced to vacate his IBF world title belt to take his place on the mega-card in Riyadh, and took out his frustrations on Zorro.

In a bout reportedly worth $680,000 for the Australian, Opetaia wasted little time and landed a huge left hand that obliterated Zorro with four seconds remaining in the first round. The punch sent the dazed Englishman into the ropes and on to the canvas, with Zorro eventually able to offer a sheepish smile in what was his first loss in 18 professional fights.

Opetaia, a former Olympic boxer, now moves to 24-0 with 19 stoppages and retains his Ring Magazine belt to cap a week of drama. "I train for 12 rounds, was prepared for 12 and if the knockout comes, it comes," Opetaia said. "He was a bit too hesitant and he got clipped, that's the way it goes."

Commentator Sergio Mora described Opetaia's one-punch knockout as "devastating and scary", while fellow pundit Mike Costello added: "At any weight, at any level that's as clinical as it gets in this sport". He added: "He dismissed Zorro with the minimum of fuss and the maximum of power."

with agencies

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