Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder weighed in at a slender 213 lbs, and his opponent Joseph Parker came in at 245.3 lbs for Saturday’s twelve round ‘Day of Reckoning’ card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Wilder is taking a gamble by coming in so low for this fight against the 31-year-old Parker because he’s been receiving tips from Tyson Fury about how to beat him.
Some feel that Fury has advised Parker to use his superior weight to lean on the spindly-legged Wilder to tire him out, as he did in his second and third fights.
Of course, there was a lot more involved in Fury winning those fights than just leaning & mauling, but those were two factors that appeared to help him the most, along with his textbook rabbit punching.
The weight for Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs) represents the lowest he’s been at since the 212 lbs he weighed for his first fight with Fury in 2018.
That was the one in which he knocked Fury out cold in the twelfth round, and the referee, Jack Reiss, shockingly, gave a count to the unconscious fighter, waiting for him to wake up rather than stopping the bout on the spot.
“I don’t rate Deontay Wilder. This guy, in my opinion, has never beaten an elite heavyweight,” said Eddie Hearn to TNT Sports Boxing, criticizing Deontay Wilder ahead of Saturday’s showdown against former WBO champion Joseph Parker in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“Someone said earlier, Luis Ortiz.’ The guy is officially 40, but arguably 60, but at the same time, I don’t see any victories on his [Wilder] resume that tells me he’s an elite heavyweight.
“He’s an elite puncher, and that’s the danger with Deontay Wilder. But I think if Joseph Parker can get into the fight, as long as he doesn’t stand still, keep moving, use your feints, listen to Andy Lee, you might find six weeks into that fight that Joseph Parker is doing really well.
“That wouldn’t be good news for [Anthony] Joshua against Wilder, but I like Joseph [Parker]. Don’t rule him out of the fight,” said Hearn. “To be honest with you, the main event and the chief support, two dangerous Joshua and for Deontay Wilder.
“I hate when everyone keeps talking about Joshua & Wilder. We know what we want to to, but we’ve been here before. A gentleman by the name of Andy Ruiz ruined the plans last time. Let’s make sure we get the win on Saturday,” said Hearn.
