As the dust settles on what was, top to bottom, the most star-studded heavyweight boxing card of the decade. Boxing fans have started to realise that the event has left them with more questions than answers. Has Anthony Joshua suddenly become the most technically sound heavyweight on earth under Ben Davison? Was Deontay Wilder ever the unstoppable force advertised? Why did the Saudis waste the chance to make Joshua vs Wilder?
Alongside the questions were also realisations for fans. Namely, that even though it seems more probable than ever that the great European heavyweights will fight each other in 2024, it is unlikely the fights will be in Europe.
Embed from Getty ImagesThis is not to mention that the Saudi government which is putting on these fights is doing so in part to provide a not-so-subtle cover for their litany of human rights abuses. Given the success of the most recent Saudi pay-per-views then, a final question arises. What quality of events will be demanded by fans for the boxing community to accept the Saudi’s takeover of boxing?
Heavyweight Boxing
About Anthony Joshua’s performance, this was certainly some of the best boxing he has ever produced. Taking the outside foot position throughout against the southpaw Wallin. Joshua could battle for lead hand dominance at a safer range until he felt he could land his right hand. If his performance was punctuated by the right hand then it was founded on the jab.
Embed from Getty ImagesAs trainers will so often tell their boxers when they jab at southpaws, “high hand wins”. When Joshua’s elongated guard was above that of Wallin’s his jab could go over the top of the shorter man’s arm and score. Traditionally, Joshua should have been almost exclusively trying this.
Although Joshua did largely stick to this principle he would also bring his hand on the inside of Wallin’s right and poke with an unobstructed jab through the centre. This variation also worked and by the second and third rounds, the jab was reliably landing.
Unfortunately for Wallin, both Joshua and Ben Davison knew that the jab wouldn’t be enough for Joshua to get the sort of win he needed for his career. Once the jab was established the right hands could follow to both the head and body.
Embed from Getty ImagesFiring often into the solar plexus with his straight right hand. Joshua constantly encouraged Wallin to lower his hands so they would not obstruct his face. This was used along with the jab to open the right hand to the head.
The jab could gauge the distance for this right hand and the early investment to the body would make Otto Wallin less likely to obstruct it. In the final flurries in the 5th round, Joshua dropped his left hand to his hip to provide an enticing target for Wallin.
The trap worked perfectly as when Wallin fired a shot Joshua pulled back and countered with a right hand, left hook that badly hurt Wallin. This and the follow-up shots at the end of the round prompted trainer Joey Gamache to end the contest.
Embed from Getty ImagesMuch was made after the fight of Anthony Joshua’s “rediscovered” sense of confidence. What this narrative missed was that his confidence was warranted by the game plan put together by his team. Although many were sceptical of his pairing with Ben Davison after only two fights with Derrick James.
Last week’s performance is about as good a rebuttal to the critics as Joshua could hope for. For the first time in over two years, people are beginning to wonder if Joshua is capable of beating Tyson Fury after all.
Ironically, perhaps the greatest Christmas present Joshua received was from former opponent Joseph Parker who beat Deontay Wilder in the co-main event of the night. This win, undoubtedly the biggest of Parker’s career, caps off a year in which he has picked up 4 wins and has firmly reestablished himself in the heavyweight order.
Embed from Getty ImagesImmediately after the fight, fans were largely divided between two opinions on why the fight looked like it did. Some claimed that Wilder, after the three Fury fights, was removed from his prime and would off handled Parker 5 years prior. Others believe that Wilder was never any good at all.
The truth is neither of these two things. In reality, Wilder has been undergoing a stylistic makeover since the third Fury fight with trainer Malik Scott Parker managed to exploit the rawness. Namely this makeover was the attempt Scott to encourage Wilder to move backwards, the skill he lacked which cost him the Tyson Fury rematch, and brought opponents onto his power.
For Wilder’s initial comeback against Robert Helenius, this worked perfectly. An aggressive Helenius walked straight onto his right hand and was knocked out in the first. Against Parker, this backfired because Parker could convincingly shoulder-feint his jab to disrupt Wilder’s timing.
Embed from Getty ImagesOnce Wilder was unsure when Parker would be susceptible to the right hand he lost the initiative to even attempt to throw it because he realised he could not rely on his timing. This gave further advantages to Parker, who became more confident and committed to his jab, often following with an overhand right.
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If Parker felt threatened at any point he could either clinch Wilder and wait for a reset, or he could retreat into the space Wilder had already conceded by putting his back close to the ropes. By the time Wilder realised how desperate the situation was the fight had all but ended and he could not land his coveted right hand before the final bell.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe question then becomes, would the old Wilder have beaten Parker? This hypothetical is now as pointless as whether he would have beaten Joshua, but it is still interesting to wonder. Although his old wild swinging style left him open, this was a trade-off Deontay Wilder accepted knowing that he was one of the hardest-hitting heavyweights ever, and up until he met Fury, it worked for him.
Parker on the other hand thrived in the space given by Wilder and was troubled by the lack of space he was given by Joe Joyce last year. It is probably safe to assume then that Wilder could have found more success if he had reverted to the sort of wild swinging he used to finish Audley Harrison over ten years ago. Whatever the case he has left a heavyweight boxing legacy that is unrivalled this century in terms of his ability to dish out violence, and for this he can only be commended.
Embed from Getty ImagesCombined, Anthony Joshua’s win and Deontay Wilder’s loss provided British fans with a bitter-sweet ending to “The Day of Reckoning”. On the one hand, fans can celebrate the skills of Anthony Joshua once again. On the other, they must mourn the loss of the Wilder Joshua fight.
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For all the bombastic claims of Warren and Hearn about what the Saudis will do for heavyweight boxing. So far they have only provided one Exhibition match gone wrong, and now a card full of stars but lacking in the contests that are wanted. Given that February will finally see Fury and Usyk lock horns, one hopes that 2024 will see the Saudis provide what was promised.
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Anthony Joshua looked like a different boxer from his previous outing, will be interested to see where we go from here