Deontay Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs) seemed amused on Thursday at the final press conference when he heard Joseph Parker (33-3, 23 KOs) predict that he will knock him out this Saturday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Wilder says Parker ran from him five years ago when he briefly held the WBO heavyweight title, and he feels. Parker lost his title to Anthony Joshua in 2018, and he’s been slowly rebuilding his career since.
Parker does have good power, but he’s failed in the three occasions he’s fought top-15 opposition. If he pulls off an upset of Wilder, it would be a major win and would foil the Saudi’s plans for a fight between him and Anthony Joshua for two mega-fights in 2024.
Parker has won his last three fights since suffering his third career defeat against Joe Joyce last year in a fight that was never competitive from the get-go.
It would have been better if Parker had at least avenged his loss to the 39-year-old Joyce before taking the fight with Wilder. Choosing to walk away from that loss without pushing for the rematch made Parker look weak, and he clearly doesn’t deserve to be Wilder’s opponent.
If Parker fights like that on Saturday, he’s not going to last long against Wilder, which is what most boxing fans expect to happen.
Deontay can’t afford to entirely count Parker out because he’s been knocked out twice by a lesser puncher than him in his defeats against Tyson Fury. However, in those fights, Wilder was worn down by Fury’s size and superior stamina.
On social media, fans gave Parker grief, criticizing him for dressing the way he did. He looked out of place with the other fighters on the stage.
“I’ve heard that he said he’s going to knock me out, but I find that kind of hard to believe because if you didn’t have confidence in yourself as a challenger, how can you have confidence in yourself as a champion,” said Deontay Wilder at the final press conference on Thursday.
“I don’t run from anyone. I fight the best in the world every time,” said Joseph Parker when asked if he avoided Wilder many years ago when he briefly held the WBO title. “Of course, it’s a tough test, but I know I can knock him out 100%.”
“I’m glad that he’s getting advice, and I hope he takes it all in because when he wakes up, he’s going to be like, ‘Damn, he lied to me,'” said Wilder, reacting to Parker saying he’d been getting advice from Tyson Fury on how to beat him.
