While it won’t be the main event on Saturday’s massive pay-per-view card, a clash of former heavyweight titlists with little margin for error can never be overlooked.

It’s especially true when so much is at stake for one of the competitors.

On a day where a significant chunk of the top ten heavyweights in the world will be on display, two stand out from the crowd. Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua have circled each other for years. If they both win Saturday, their next destination is each other. Joshua will have to deal with tricky southpaw Otto Wallin in the main event.

Wilder has to get through Joseph Parker. 

Parker has won three straight since losing a brutal war with Joe Joyce. Parker has been down against Joyce, Dereck Chisora, and Dillian Whyte. None of them carry the lightning right hand Wilder brings to the ring. 

But what happens if Parker, a fighter with underrated hand speed when he’s on, lands first? Wilder took beatings against Tyson Fury, was in big trouble in the first Luis Ortiz fight, and is outweighed by more than thirty pounds. Wilder has been better, quicker, when he’s lighter, but Parker is also five pounds lighter than his last outing and some ten less than the Joyce fight.  

This fight has potential for a blowout statement from Wilder. It also has the potential to turn into a wild shootout between two guys with enough power to hurt each other at any time. What’s the most likely scenario?     

Let’s get into it. 

Stats and Stakes

Deontay Wilder

Age: 38

Title: None

Previous Titles: WBC heavyweight (2015-20, 10 defenses)

Height: 6’7   

Weight: 213 lbs.

Stance: Orthodox

Hails from: Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Record: 43-2-1, 42 KO, 2 KOBY

Rankings: #3 (Ring, ESPN)

Record in Major Title Fights: 10-2-1, 9, 2 KOBY 

Last Five Opponents: 141-5-2 (.959)

Notable Outcomes, TBRB and/or Ring Rated Foes: Bermane Stiverne UD12; Luis Ortiz TKO10, KO7; Tyson Fury D12, TKO by 7, KO by 11 

Additional Current/Former Titlists Faced: Sergey Lyakhovich KO1; Bermane Stiverne KO1

Vs. 

Joseph Parker

Age: 31

Titles: None

Previous Titles: WBO Heavyweight (2016-18, 2 Defenses)

Height: 6’4 

Weight: 245 ¼ lbs.

Stance: Orthodox

Hails from: South Auckland, New Zealand

Record: 33-3, 21 KO, 1 KOBY

Press Rankings: #5 (Ring), #8 (ESPN) 

Record in Major Title Fights: 3-1

Last Five Opponents: 104-16-2 (.861)

Notable Outcomes, TBRB and/or Ring Rated Foes: Carlos Takam UD12; Andy Ruiz MD12; Anthony Joshua L12; Dillian Whyte L12; Joe Joyce KO by 11

Additional Current/Former Titlists Faced: None

The Pick: We know what we’re getting with Wilder. He’s coming to set up the right hand and get Parker out of there. Wilder doesn’t come to try to win rounds. He is there to win fights. Only one of his wins made it the distance. Tyson Fury lasted the route in a draw where he was on the floor twice. In every other fight, either Wilder ended things early or he didn’t finish. 

We don’t always know what we will get with Parker. When he first burst on the scene, Parker stood out with quick hands and feet and athleticism. It didn’t translate to tougher competition. Sometimes he can be tentative, as he was in losing a decision to Anthony Joshua and in chunks of the Whyte fight. Sometimes he can be explosive and dominant, as he was in the Chisora rematch.

Against Wilder, one has to assume a certain fear factor for Parker. After being down against Whyte twice, he roared back and nearly scored the stoppage. The second Chisora fight and the battle with Joyce showed who he was when he felt forced to fight. With a puncher like Wilder, who has quicker hands than Parker, the thinking here is he will be forced to fight early on.

That’s going to make this a fun and entertaining fight while it lasts. The pick is Wilder by stoppage but the eye on this fight is because of the potential for drama. Don’t be surprised if both men have to weather a storm before it’s over.

Additional Saturday Picks

Anthony Joshua Dec. Otto Wallin

Dmitry Bivol Dec. Lyndon Arthur

Jai Opetaia TKO Ellis Zorro

Rold Picks 2023: 40-14

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, a member of the International Boxing Research Organization, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com