RIYADH (Reuters) – New Zealand’s Joseph Parker pulled off a stunning upset win over former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder at the Kingdom Arena on Saturday, putting on a superb display to score a unanimous decision victory.
After a cautious opening, both fighters landed big right hands in the fourth round, but Parker continued to dictate the pace, controlling the centre of the ring and landing jabs and occasional power shots to score.
Fighting for the first time in more than a year, 38-year-old Wilder struggled to land with his usual power and instead Parker pummelled him in the corner towards the end of the eighth round, almost forcing the stoppage.
That onslaught slowed American Wilder considerably but Parker, who held the WBO heavyweight title from 2016 to 2018, continued to box clever.
The three judges scored the fight 118-111, 118-110 and 120-108 for the 31-year-old Kiwi, leaving Wilder’s dream of fighting for another world title in tatters.
Earlier in the evening, Dmitry Bivol dominated Lyndon Arthur to retain the WBA and IBO light heavyweight world titles via unanimous decision, while Daniel Dubois scored a 10th-round knockout win over Jarrell Miller in their heavyweight contest.
(Reporting by Philip O’Connor)
