Eddie Hearn believes Joseph Parker has a good chance of defeating Deontay Wilder on Saturday night in the massive card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Hearn says former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs) has never beaten an elite-level fighter during his career, and he’s capable of losing to almost anyone, especially against a fighter with the kind of power and ability Parker(33-3-, 23 KOs) brings to the table.
Wilder needs a win against Parker, and Anthony Joshua must beat Otto Wallin on Saturday night for them to fight on March 9th. According to Hearn, the contract still hasn’t been signed for that fight. They need to win and get through their fights without suffering injuries.
Eddie was surprised to see Wilder wearing hand wraps during Friday’s weigh-in, and he says that if Anthony Joshua were to do that, people would call for him to be removed from the card.
Eddie doesn’t say whether they would want him to be taken to the funny farm. Fans would think Joshua had lost his marbles and would be ready to be escorted out by men wearing white coats.
Wilder probably thought he was getting into Parker’s head by wearing the hand wraps because he’d dressed up for the final press conference.
The ‘Day of Reckoning’ card this Saturday night is loaded with numerous fights that could be headliners on their own, and it’s incredible that there are so many excellent fighters in one event.
Parker’s Power: A Recipe for Upset?
“Can you imagine if AJ weighed in with his hands wrapped? There would people calling for him to be taken away from the fight,” said Eddie Hearn to Matchroom Boxing, reacting to Deontay Wilder weighing in with his hands wrapped on Friday for his bout against Joseph Parker on Saturday night.
That would have been hilarious if Joshua had weighed in with hand wraps. You can imagine what fans would be saying about him, thinking he’s lost the plot entirely, and wondering what he’s going to do next.
Deontay is likely trying to get any edge he can to win this fight because he knows how much money is at stake if he’s victorious and Joshua wins his fight against Otto Wallin. That’s one of the reasons why Wilder wanted fans to back off Joshua this week; he didn’t want him to lose his grip before the fight.
“Wilder is out there, but he’s also very dangerous, and by the way, Joseph Parker’s not out of this fight. He’s had a great camp with Andy Lee, who is a fanatic trainer,” said Hearn.
“They fancy it, and if they can get into the fight and win rounds, and I think he will, as long as he stays away from that big right hand, he’s got a chance. We don’t want to derail a Joshua-Wilder fight, but I do love Joseph Parker.”
To listen to Hearn talk, it sounds like he wants Wilder to lose this fight, even though it would mean the Joshua-Wilder two-fight deal in 2024 would be up in smoke. It could be that Hearn is worried about Wilder sending Joshua into retirement with a bad knockout loss.
“If anyone is going to mess it up for us, Joe could be the one to do it. Both heavyweight fights with a lot of jeopardy on the line. It’s such an honor to represent one pound-for-pound fighter and Jai Opetaia, I believe, in the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions,” said Hearn.
More Than Just a Main Event:
“Big opportunity for Lyndon Arthur, a great guy. He’s in deep, but if you want to take any encouragement, Dmitry Bivol has been out of the ring for over a year,” said Hearn. “He’s looking at the Beterbiev & Callum Smith fight.
WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol will defend against Lyndon Arthur on the undercard, and there’s a lot on the line for that one as well. Bivol needs to win to face the winner of the Artur Beterbiev vs. Callum Smith fight for the undisputed championship.
“In Jai Opetaia, you saw Jordan Thompson try and step up a level, but he couldn’t do it,” said Hearn. “Ellis Zorro has got to try and do it as well. He’s never been anywhere near the levels of Jai Opetaia. He’s a good, competent young fighter. Tomorrow night, he’s in deep. Let’s see if he can swim.”
Former IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia (23-0, 18 KOs) will be showing off his talent against unbeaten Elllis Zorro (17-0, 7 KOs) in a fight that most feel will be a mismatch, but you never know.
“Yeah, Jarrell Miller did the old push & run tactic [during Friday’s weigh-in with Daniel Dubois]. He’s a character; he’s been brilliant during the promotion, and I think Daniel Dubois is a great young man,” said Hearn.
“He’s only 24, 25. He’s boxed Joe Joyce; he’s boxed Oleksandr Usyk. He’s been in deep, and he’ll learn from that experience. No one knows how good Jarrell Miller is. He’s never actually beaten a world class heavyweight, but he’s a big lump.
“He used to have a good engine. I presume he’s still got it, and he’s a good volume puncher as well. He tends to have a decent chin, and he’ll need it against Dubois, who punches very hard.
“If Jarrell can get through that first half of the fight and starts leaning on him, slobbering all over him at 330 lbs or whatever it is, it’s going to be a rough night’s work for Dubois. A great, great fight, that one.”
Former WBA heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois lost his last fight in a disappointing knockout loss to Oleksandr Usyk last August, and there’s no way of knowing how he’ll deal with fighting the much heavier ‘Big Baby’ Miller, who is a volume puncher and has a pretty good chin. If Usyk was able to stop Dubois, Miller has a good chance of doing it too.
“I’ve never seen a card like it, from top to bottom. We’re not even talking about fights like Filip Hrgovic, Frank Sanchez, or particularly Arslanbek Makhmudov against [Agit] Kabayel,” said Hearn.
“That’s a brilliant heavyweight fight, but when you talk about Bivol, Opetaia, and the three heavyweight fights. Dubois against Jarrell Miller, Deontay Wilder against Joseph Parker, Anthony Joshua against Otto Wallin. This is on the same card. The same night.
“What His Excellency has done here is incredible, and it’s so refreshing and energizing for boxing. It’s even got me and Frank Warren going out to dinner together. It’s unbelievable.
“So, long may it continue, long may the fighters cherish these incredible opportunities, and long may the fans get the fights they deserve for boxing. We’re delighted to help in some way. Tune in tomorrow night. Don’t miss it,” said Hearn.
