Joseph Parker feels confident that he will neutralize the right-hand power of former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder to defeat him this Saturday night on December 23rd, in the ‘Day of the Reckoning’ card on DAZN PPV at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Wilder & Anthony Joshua are the main stars of this event, and both are expected to win to set up a big mega-fight on March 9th in Saudi Arabia. Parker would like to mess up the plans for this fight by defeating Wilder and further unraveling what’s left of his career.
It’s the ideal time for New Zealand native Parker to be fighting the recently turned 38-year-old Wilder because he’s been largely inactive over the last couple of years except for a one round knockout over his former sparring partner Robert Helenius last year in October.
Wilder hasn’t felt the need to stay busy, and likely a big reason for that is the money that he’s accumulated from his well-paying three fights with Tyson Fury. If Parker can drag the ring-rusty Wilder into the second half of their fight, he’s got a chance of winning.
Parker (33-3, 23 KOs) says he’s gotten some simple advice from former Wilder conqueror Tyson Fury to stay away from Wilder’s right hand and don’t get knocked out in their twelve round bout on Saturday, December 23rd, at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Parker has Wilder figured out
“I got good momentum, and I feel extremely confident going win this fight,” said Joseph Parker to iFL TV about his fight this Saturday night on December 23rd against Deontay Wilder.
“It’s that simple [don’t get hit by Wilder’s right hand],” said Parker on how he plans on being victorious over Deontay. “I asked Tyson [Fury] about what advice he could give me, and he said, ‘Stay away from the right hand and don’t get knocked out.’ It’s that simple, but it’s twelve rounds, and he’s dangerous for every round.”
Fury was far from perfect in his three fights, getting knocked down four times and getting lucky that the referees didn’t wave two of them off. Parker can’t afford to get hurt as badly as Fury was because cause Deontay would have a good shot at finishing him.
If that’s all it takes for Parker to win, he’ll be all right on Saturday. Just stay out of the way of Wilder’s right, and don’t get knocked out. Fury used a lot of feints in his first fight to battle Wilder to a draw.
Parker can make Wilder afraid to throw his right hand if he moves, and utilizes the same feints that Fury did in their first bout. In the second fight, Fury came into the fight heavier and used his size to hold, lean, and throw short punches. That was a total domination for Fury.
Staying switched on crucial
“So, I just need to be switched on, and I know I can be and I will be [heavier than Wilder]. Tyson is 6’9″ and has the long reach,” said Parker. “What is he, 270 lbs? So, Tyson’s plan will be different from ours. I’ve got to use whatever I have to my advantage.
“I’ve got good speed, movement, and I’ve got good power myself. I’m going to use that to the best of my ability and performance very well,” said Parker about his plan for the Deontay fight.
Parker’s mentioning of his speed & movement suggests that he’s going to be circling the ring all night, not letting Wilder have a stationary target to land his shots because that’s the type of opponent that he tends to do well against.
“I can. Every heavyweight can knock out any heavyweight,” said Parker when asked if can knockout Wilder. “It’s just about timing, precision, and landing clean. It’s very simple. Boxing is simple. You train hard, eat good food, rest well, and then fight hard.”
Of course, Parker can knock out Wilder if he hits him on the button with one of his hard shots. He has better power than Fury, and his uppercut would put Wilder in a bad way if he can land it.
“I know what I can do in the ring. I back myself 100%. I’m extremely confident. Put on a great display of boxing, catch him, and fly home and see my family,” said Parker on what he wants to do on Saturday against Wilder.
