Loss to Parker Shatters Wilder’s Future Prospects
Deontay Wilder appeared to be heading toward another superfight. Wilder had been paired on the same pay-per-view card as fellow former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on Dec. 23, 2023, at Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia. If Wilder and Joshua beat Joseph Parker and Otto Wallin, respectively, the thought was Wilder and Joshua could be paired together in a big-money fight of two top-five contenders and be in line for a shot at the winner of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
But life seldom turns out how we think it will. Wilder didn’t just lose to Parker. He was thoroughly outclassed through the bout and lost on all three judges’ scorecards to Parker. It was a devastating turnaround for the powerful puncher Wilder. Before fighting Parker, Wilder had only fought once in the previous 18 months.
The issue for Wilder, 38, is that his age and recent losses have started to lower his profile. Wilder has lost three of his last four fights and is now 43-3-1 in his career. The former WBC champion is best known for his trilogy of fights against Fury.
The first fight between Wilder and Fury ended in a controversial split draw, while the next two fights were knockout wins for Fury. But the path forward isn’t as clear for Wilder now. Joshua’s camp has made it clear after the loss to Parker that Wilder is no longer an opponent on Joshua’s radar. The former champion and knockout artist needs to consider what his options are moving forward, according to the latest boxing news online.
Forget Retirement
Despite looking slow and having poor timing, Wilder said immediately after the fight that he doesn’t plan to retire from the sport. Losing to Parker wasn’t necessarily the thing that saw Wilder fall out of the World Boxing Association’s top 10 heavyweight rankings despite previously being the No. 1 contender. It was how poor Wilder looked during the fight that hurt him.
Parker outworked and outclassed Wilder. Some people have accused Wilder, who held the WBC heavyweight title, of being a one-trick pony. Wilder has incredible knockout power and will typically lay out his opposition with one stinging punch.
What Parker and Fury were able to do to him was to force him to be active and try to show he could win on the scorecards. During Wilder’s 47 professional fights, only three of them have gone the distance. Wilder is 1-1-1 in fights that see the judges’ scorecards.
Meanwhile, Wilder has collected 42 knockout wins.
Could Wilder Make Leap to MMA?
People in combat sports trying out other disciplines has been all the rage in recent years. Wilder is already on the record as saying he may be willing to give MMA a go. There may be an opportunity with the PFL to have a mixed-rules match with Francis Ngannou.
It’s hard to say how Wilder’s power would translate with the lighter gloves in MMA. While he would likely still be a heavy hitter, it’s hard to know how he would cope with the worry about handling kicks and takedowns. Several champion boxers have attempted to compete in MMA only to fall flat.
Former world champion boxer James Toney decided to try his hand at the sport at UFC 118 in August 2010. Toney would get embarrassed by Randy Couture. Couture took him down quickly before submitting him 3 minutes, 19 seconds into their bout.
Claressa Shields, one of the top women’s boxers ever, found life in MMA difficult as well. Competing in the PFL, she won her first fight by TKO despite being dominated in the grappling early. Shields would lose her second fight to an unheralded Abigail Montes by split decision after Montes wrestled her to the ground for most of the fight.
Influencer Boxing Provides Another Outlet
Say what you will about Jake Paul, and there is plenty to discuss; he has been able to draw in a lot of casual fans to boxing. While the fight quality hasn’t been at championship level, the spectacle has helped earn some older fighters a few larger paydays as their careers wind down. It’s hard to say how Wilder would transition to this world.
While many of these fight cards have featured big mismatches in experience and talent level, there seems to be a concern about doing this with a heavyweight. Wilder has the kind of punching power that could plant a professional on the canvas. Having someone with less or no experience fighting someone as tough as Wilder seems reckless and, frankly, criminal.
Exhibition Fight May Not Be Bad Option
Many heavyweight legends have been coming out of retirement recently to have exhibition fights. Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield have both fought in the past five years. Many other big names in boxing, like Manny Pacquaio and Floyd Mayweather, Jr., are still taking on opponents as well.
These types of fights are nice for the participants involved. Usually, there is a relaxed rule set that allows for both fighters to protect themselves physically and their reputations, too. While this is the type of activity for a fighter ready to be done chasing championships, this could provide an outlet for Wilder to provide an opportunity for his fans to see him perform for the last few times.
Only the Man Knows
Online boxing news shows that the interest level in Wilder returning was hurt badly by the loss to Parker. Wilder looked like someone who hadn’t been quite as interested in his craft as he had in the past. However, Wilder took some time off following the losses to Fury and may be able to regain much of his former form with more time in the ring.
Wilder himself has said that he would still like to fight Joshua. But that likely isn’t happening. All Wilder needs to do is find an opponent who is willing to try and solve his power. If not, Wilder should have plenty of options outside the squared circle as well.
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