Boxing lovers received an early Christmas present. The heavyweight elite gathered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The gala’s “Day of Reckoning” card has been hailed by experts as the best in recent years.
Empty seats, but also McGregor or Cristiano Ronaldo
Only the two current best were missing from the party. WBC champion British Tyson Fury (34-0 and 1 draw) was supposed to face Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk (21-0), owner of the belts of WBA, WBO, IBF, IBO and The Ring magazine, in a unification match for the unification of titles.
news-item-description">British professional boxer Tyson Fury and Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk will meet in a fight for the title of the unified heavyweight champion of the world. The fight will take place on February 17 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The fight was postponed to February 17 after Fury had unexpected problems against the debutant in the professional ring and ex-champion of the most prestigious MMA organization UFC, Cameroonian Francis Ngannou (0-1). In the match, Fury received a knockdown, suffered minor injuries and only narrowly maintained his invincibility.
news-item-description">Heavyweight boxing king Tyson Fury defeated the former champion of the most prestigious MMA organization UFC, Francis Ngannou, and remains undefeated in the professional ring. The British boxer won after a mixed verdict from the point judges. The gala evening took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Despite the packed card, the gala evening in Riyadh did not attract much attention, although Cristiano Ronaldo and Conor McGregor sat next to each other in the first row under the ring. There were many empty seats in the hall, there was a cozy atmosphere. The evening was accompanied by the legendary voice of boxing, Michael Buffer.
DAY OF ACCOUNTING – RESULTS
heavy weight: Anthony Joshua (GBR) – Otto Wallin (SWE) – TKO (Round 5, 3:00)
hard: Joseph Parker (NZL) – Deontay Wilder (USA) – body (118-111, 118-110, 120-108)
semi-heavy: Dmitrij Bivol (RUS) – Lyndon Arthur (GBR) – body.
hard: Daniel Dubois (GBR) – Jarrell Miller (USA) – TKO (Round 10, 2:52)
hard: Agit Kabayel (GER) – Arslanbek Machmudov (RUS) – TKO (4. colo, 2:03)
cross: Jai Opetaia (AUS) – Ellis Zorro (GBR) – KO (1st col, 2:56)
hard: Filip Hrgovic (CRO) – Mark de Mori (AUS) – TKO (Round 1, 1:46)
hard: Frank Sanchez (CUB) – Junior Fa (NZL) – TKO (Round 7, 2:42)
Shock! Wilder found the second defeater after Fury
From January 2015 to February 2020, he was the World Heavyweight Champion of the WBC organization. He was then beaten twice by Tyson Fury. American Deontay Wilder (43-3 and 1 draw) returned to winning streak last October, he knocked out Finnish Robert Helenius (32-5) already in the 1st round.
With a fight against New Zealander Joseph Parker (34-3), he wanted to move back to the big fights. First against Anthony Joshua and then possibly against the winner of the Fury – Usyk duel. However, Parker thwarted his and the promoters’ plans, although he was an outsider in terms of odds of 5.5 – 1.17.
The New Zealander held the center of the ring throughout the evening. He was going after Wilder and giving him problems with his stretched back. The American cashed in hard at least once in almost every round and backed up to the ropes. At the end of the 8th round, Parker was close to being finished when he smelled blood and showered his opponent with a barrage of his best punches. Wilder was saved by a gong. Although he survived the onslaught, he cashed in hard.
The “Bronze Bomber” was a shadow of the feared knockout, with 42 of his 43 victories coming before the limit and mostly in the 1st round. He was passive, clearly losing on points. It was as if he was waiting for one knockout blow during the entire match, but he wasn’t preparing for it at all. Parker boxed tactically brilliantly, eliminating the strengths of the favorite. He also controlled the end, when the opponent already needed a KO to win.
After the last gong, Wilder surprisingly raised his hand above his head as a sign of victory, but his opponent had the right to celebrate. It was also confirmed by the point judges, Parker clearly triumphed with a ratio of 118-111, 118-110, 120-108.
Will Wilder end his career?
After losing for the third time in his last four fights, Wilder faced the question of whether he still has the fire in him at 38 years old. “I do not know. I found peace and happiness in my life. But I will definitely come back, there is still a little left in me. I managed well and invested the money I earned, I am a happy boxer. But I will definitely be back in the ring soon. And if not, it was my pleasure,” he spoke vaguely and refused to definitively rule out possible retirement.
Parker is also a former WBO world heavyweight champion. He held the title from December 2016 to March 2018. He was dethroned by Anthony Joshua. In addition to him, he was also defeated by Dilian Whyte and, most recently, last September by Joe Joyce.
Joshua boxed again like the world was at his feet
When he retired Wladimir Klitschko in April 2017, he was 27 years old, 19-0, and had the boxing world at his feet. He was to rule the heavyweight division for the next decade. Antohny Joshua (27-3) has stumbled several times since then, but in 2024 he wants to become world champion for the third time.
After two losses against Usyk, he returned to winning streak this year. He successively defeated Jermain Franklin, Robert Helenius, and on Saturday in Riyadh the Swede Otto Wallin (26-2). Joshua performed in the form that graced him at the time of invincibility.
He hit a slower opponent like on a trainer. He moved well, was accurate and fast. Wallin had a nosebleed from the 2nd round, he was passive. The Brit stepped up the pressure in the 5th round. He landed a right and left hook combination, the Swede backed up to the ropes. The offensive continued for another minute. Wallin survived to the end of the round, but did not enter the next round.
The promoters planned to announce the long-awaited clash between Joshua and Wilder at the end of the evening. The surprising loss of the latter thwarted their plans. Joshua’s manager, Eddie Hearn, said that for his most prominent client, the probably more interesting match in the near future will probably be the vacated IBF title against Croatian Filip Hrgovic (17-0).
“Every heavyweight should watch out because AJ is back! I believe this Anthony Joshua is the best heavyweight in the world. With this mentality and with this team, he is unbeatable! Nice to see her smiling again. The year 2024 will be spectacular for him,” Hearn declared.
Joshua, in a good mood, took a dig at Wilder after a great performance: “After all he said about me, I could tear him to pieces now. But I will maintain my level.’
He was allegedly robbed of his titles against Usyk. He deprived the sinner of invincibility
Briton Daniel Dubois (20-2) claimed all of Usyk’s titles in August. He grounded the Ukrainian in the 5th round with a blow to the bottom. The champion would probably not be able to get up until the end of the count, but the referee evaluated the hit as an illegal strike below the waist. Usyk took less than four minutes to recover before taking over the reins of the match. He knocked out the Brit in the middle of the 9th round.
news-item-description">Oleksandr Usyk handled Daniel Dubois with a 9th round knockout victory to defend his world titles. Despite the success, it is not clear if his next opponent will be Tyson Fury. However, he stated that he is ready for the aforementioned match.
To this day, Dubois still believes that he grounded Usyk with a legal strike, and that’s why he’s calling for retribution. He came close to it with an important victory over the previously undefeated Jarrell Miller (26-1 and 1 draw).
The American got a chance against Joshua in 2019 to win the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO titles. However, even before the match, his boxing license was revoked when he failed a drug test. The doping sinner had a positive test even a year later and received a two-year ban.
Miller weighed 151 kilograms before the match against Dubois! After a slow start, he gained the upper hand in the middle of the fight, but the British boxer took a second breath and dictated the pace in the last rounds. He showered Miller with punches shortly before the end. Staggering around the ring, Dubois looked for a knockout blow. Miller was finally spared by the referee when he waved off the end with eight seconds left.
2023-12-23 22:55:00
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