DAY OF RECKONING: JOSHUA VS. WALLIN PREVIEW AND TIPS

Two former heavyweight world champions collide in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, as former WBC king Deontay Wilder takes on Joseph Parker, who held the WBO title for a period between 2016 and 2018.

The blockbuster clash forms part of the huge ‘Day of Reckoning’ card and is the co-headline event, alongside Anthony Joshua’s meeting with Otto Wallin.

Wilder versus Parker will be the penultimate bout, before Joshua and Wallin face off.

Wilder may have lost his WBC title and unbeaten record to Tyson Fury, but he remains one of the most feared men across boxing.

The American has 43 wins and 42 stoppages, he also has two losses and a draw on his record - all results from his trilogy with Fury.

Parker has 33 wins and three defeats in 36 fights and he is on the rebuild after losing out to Joe Joyce in September of 2022.

The New Zealander has picked up three wins since that defeat, but all of those came against lesser opposition and Wilder is a huge step up for the 31-year-old.

This bout also represents a bit of a step up for Wilder after a period of relative inactivity as this will be just his second fight since being stopped by Fury in the 11th round in 2021.

The Alabama-native was last seen when knocking out Robert Helenius inside the first round in October of last year, as proposed fights with Joshua and Andy Ruiz have failed to materialise.

Tip 1 - Deontay Wilder to win in rounds 1-6 @ 11/10

Wilder only needed a round to end the challenge of Helenius in his comeback fight and there is a good chance he will be able to end his showdown with Parker before the halfway point in Saudi Arabia.

Parker may have recorded three wins in a row since his defeat to Joyce but, with all due respect, those fighters were nowhere near Wilder’s level.

The Kiwi was taken the full distance by Jack Massey, who has spent the majority of his career at cruiserweight, at the start of 2023 then recorded wins over relative unknowns Faiga Opelu and Simon Kean.

That is hardly ideal preparation to fight a knockout specialist such as Wilder, and his performance against Joyce suggests he could be in trouble this weekend.

Parker was stopped in the 11th by Joyce as he was unable to avoid the ‘Juggernaut’, and he is coming up against a far more agile opponent in Wilder.

Joyce is the kind of fighter who will use his size to wear opponents down and earns his stoppage wins via the cumulative effect of a number of blows, whereas Wilder goes hunting for the knockout punch pretty much from the get-go.

Wilder has claimed 42 stoppage wins in 43 victories and four of his last seven victories have come inside the first five rounds.

It remains unclear as to what level Parker is truly at right now after facing lesser opponents in his last three outings, but against Joyce his movement wasn’t good enough to keep him out of trouble and Wilder has far better accuracy than the Briton.

As he always does, Wilder will be focused on trying to land a knockout punch from the first bell and there is a good chance he will be able to connect before the end of the sixth round, and it is hard to see Parker beating the count if he is caught flush by the heavy-hitting American.

Tip 2 - Deontay Wilder to win in rounds 1-2 @ 13/2

The ‘Bronze Bomber’ is a fairly one-dimensional fighter as he will rarely attempt to outbox or outthink his opponent, instead he essentially lasers in his focus to landing a knockout blow from the off.

Technically, Parker is the superior boxer in terms of skill set, variation and general ring intelligence, but that could count for very little when faced with a puncher as powerful as Wilder.

Parker likes to fight off the back foot and keep his distance before picking his moments to engage and that sort of tactic may ultimately play into Wilder’s hands, as he relentlessly searches for that fight-ending shot as he will be ready to strike whenever the New Zealander moves into range.

There is clearly a chance that Parker’s tactical nous will see him evade serious trouble, but Wilder should come out all guns blazing from the off and he only needs one big shot to end this contest, so a small stake on the American claiming another early finish is worth some consideration for anyone looking for a big price option.

Check out the preview of the other fights on the card and get betting tips below: