Joseph Parker and his trainer, Andy Lee, have received massive praise from fans and the media for their victory over former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder last weekend in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Parker & Lee are being made out to be geniuses for the win, given how Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) looked mentally tied in knots and couldn’t land any of his power shots. Indeed, he only connected on 39 punches in the entire fight, and many of them were at close range while Parker was clinching.
Wilder’s woeful night
Perhaps the real reason Wilder’s offense was shut down is these things:
1. Poor game plan
2. Age
3. Inactivity/ring rust
4. Moving too much
5. Lacking motivation
With all those things going against Wilder, it didn’t matter what strategy Parker used in the fight; he was going to win because Deontay had too many things going against him.
Deontay looked like a typical millionaire fighter that has lost his love for the sport, and was no longer staying active, working hard, and putting in the work.
Parker is a good basic bottom-tier heavyweight, but this great fighter that fans & the media are making him out to be after his win over Deontay.
If this had been a good heavyweight who was young, hungry, and talented that he was fighting last Saturday, Parker would have looked like the same fighter that Joe Joyce and Dillian Whyte beat. That’s his level.
Trainer Andy Lee’s guiding hand
“Andy [Lee] is a brilliant technician. You can hear it when he gives commentary. He gives away a lot of what he knows,” said Gareth A. Davies to Pro Boxing Fans, talking about Joseph Parker’s trainer, Andy Lee, who guided him to victory over Deontay Wilder last Saturday night.
“For about a year, his [Parker] body has looked amazing. His skin glows, but Andy Lee, he’s a brilliant addition to Parker. I think it’s helpful for him that he’s in that Fury mix as well in Lancashire for his fight camps.”
Lee is a good coach, but Parker was there to be hit all night long if Wilder had pulled the trigger on his right hand. Parker was in the range of Wilder’s virtually all night long, especially when he was attacking. This was the same Parker that 38-year-old Joe Joyce knocked out in the eleventh round last year.
Avoiding Wilder’s Right Hand
“Although a lot was laughed about Tyson Fury saying, ‘I gave him advice. Avoid the right hand.’ That’s kind of what he did. He kind of went in and under it. The way that Joseph was moving, he was smothering that right and going under it every time. So, Wilder was smothering his own work by diving in,” said Gareth.
“Parker never gave him that space. He was drilled perfectly. It was a great performance. I thought it was his career-best because it was so. That was a career-best performance for me, the way he handled Wilder,” said Gareth.
Parker gave Wilder space all night, but he couldn’t get his shots off. Again, a major reason why Deontay couldn’t throw was because he was circling the ring all night. When you’re moving that much, it’s difficult to throw. Wilder looked tired from his movement.
His trainer, Malik Scott should have identified this problem and told him to stop moving, but he didn’t. There were no adjustments made by Malik, who didn’t have the sense to know that his game plan was trash.
“I’m not going to buy this stuff from people. ‘Oh, Wilder is a one-trick pony.’ He’s a really dangerous man,” said Gareth. “Everyone apart from Parker, he’s knocked down. Parker is the first fighter in Wilder’s career that hasn’t been knocked down by him,” said Gareth.
What Gareth isn’t mentioning is Wilder’s inactivity, age, and crazy game plan. Wilder was never that good to begin with, as his best win is arguably 40-year-old Luis Ortiz.
If Deontay had beaten Parker, it would have been the best win on his resume, which is pathetic because Joseph isn’t one of the better heavyweights.
Future Matchups: A Wealth of Options
“I think they can put Parker in with Andy Ruiz. They can put him in with Agit Kabayel. That’s a really good match-up. Who else is there in the group? Hrgovic again if Joshua is going elsewhere. There are so many good match-ups,” said Gareth.
It’s unlikely that Parker will agree to fight Kabayel. Andy Ruiz will be an option if it’s for big money because Parker will lose to him, and he’s not going to want to take chances against this level of a fighter unless he’s making a lot of dough.
“Parker is in the top eight now in the world in this situation,” said Gareth. “They’ve created a super league. It’s almost like if you can be in the top eight, top twelve, or top ten in the division, you’re going to be coming back here for two fights a year. It’s amazing for them all. It’s amazing period to be in.
“Against any of them in the top ten, I’d watch it,” said Gareth when told that Francis Ngannou is being mentioned as a possibility for Anthony Joshua’s next fight.
