Malik Scott: Wilder Had A ‘Bad Night At The Office’

Malik Scott felt Deontay Wilder had a bad night in his loss to Joseph Parker, which appears to have scuppered an Anthony Joshua fight.

The fight has been thrown into doubt after Wilder lost to Parker. The defeat was also accompanied by a performance that was so below par that it took boxing fans aback. The Bronze Bomber fought on the back foot for most of the fight without letting his right hand go. That played into Parker’s hands as he closed the distance slowly before throwing his right hand over the top.

After the defeat, criticism was directed towards Wilder and his trainer. The American had only fought one round before the Parker fight when he stopped Robert Helenius. In addition, Scott’s lack of urgency in the corner was alarming. Rather than telling the boxer he needed a stoppage, Scott failed to communicate what was needed. Looking back, Scott admitted that it was not the best performance.

Scott On Wilder

“It was a bad night at the office…There were a couple of things that he [Wilder] could have done more and could have done right. He came out of his base a lot. His chin came up a few times. The jab, it wasn’t filling the blank spaces a lot of times. There were a lot of times during the fight where there was nothing going on, and that was good for Parker but not good for Deontay,” Scott said

Nevertheless, Scott was hopeful of a Joshua fight happening. Reports revealed a two-fight deal was in place for Wilder and Joshua. The first fight was slated for March 9, 2024. Eddie Hearn also confirmed that Joshua had signed for the fight, showing that all the pieces were in place to make it happen. The loss has scuppered those plans as Joshua eyes Filip Hrgovic for a possible vacant IBF heavyweight title.

Scott On Joshua

That has left Wilder out in the cold. The Bronze Bomber’s comments after the Parker loss hinted he could retire. Meanwhile, there are question marks over who Wilder fights aside from Joshua. A blueprint is in place to beat Wilder if the right hand is neutralised. But Scott still had other plans.

“Him and AJ were supposed to fight in March. It still may happen. That’s how boxing is. We’ll see. Deontay has got to go rest. It was a bad night at the office. First of all, Joseph Parker and [trainer] Andy Lee had a hell of a game plan. Joseph Parker’s chin wasn’t open. A couple of times, he was heavy-footed, and I thought Deontay could continue to be patient and jab him and make him run into something, but his chin was never over his front knee,” Scott stated

Scott’s performance in the corner has raised question marks over his future. The game plan to fight on the back foot was at odds with Wilder’s strengths, especially since Parker had shown he could be stopped. His defeat to Joe Joyce demonstrated that. ‘Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com’