No Need: Putting Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder in against Otto Wallin and Joseph Parker is just asking for trouble

By Anish Parekh

“WHEREVER you are in the world tune-in December 23 for one of the greatest boxing cards ever put together!” introduced the Queensberry Promotions X account on Wednesday (November 15).

A card that includes Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder in Saudi Araba definitely prompted a stir and created intrigue amongst boxing followers across the globe when it was introduced on Wednesday night in London. Not solely that, it is a not-so-subtle signal of what to anticipate subsequent if the 2 males overcome Otto Wallin and Joseph Parker two days earlier than Christmas.

Fans of a naïve or inexperienced nature will look in direction of this occasion because the precursor to one thing larger. They’ll assume Wallin and Parker merely function fodder earlier than the world inevitably will get the Joshua-Wilder conflict it has been pining for. But in a sport containing as a lot jeopardy as boxing, notably inside the treacherous panorama of the heavyweight division, the phrase “if” can’t be simply dismissed.

Otto Wallin already nearly derailed Wilder’s super-fight rematch with Tyson Fury, when, in 2019, he dragged the “Gypsy King” right into a determined warfare and opened up a gash above his eye that many felt warranted a stoppage. Joseph Parker, in the meantime, is a former titlist with good fundamentals, hand-speed, and expertise against high opposition.

In culinary phrases, if this December 23 card is thought of as one thing of a starter, what they’ve accomplished is let a few lunatics into the kitchen with the flexibility to burn down the entire restaurant earlier than the primary course (Joshua-Wilder) is served.

While nowhere close to as egregious a cash-grab as Fury vs. Francis Ngannou, there merely isn’t a requirement for a tune-up battle apart from to empty the cash-cows of each little bit of milk. The conflict of kinds and personalities between Joshua and Wilder has certainly marinated lengthy sufficient for boxing followers to fortunately half with their cash, but someway, seven years after they first concurrently held titles, followers will not be just made to attend to observe them battle however are requested to pay to see the potential for that conflict by no means occurring in any respect, with the heavy palms of Wallin and Parker prepared to show the “Day of Reckoning” into the “Day of Wrecked Dreams”.

Joshua and Wilder are former titleholders, however each are in their 30s. They’ve been via some wars and are very doubtless previous their greatest. It’s as if the promoters, who unquestionably know extra in regards to the sport than me, have immediately skilled reminiscence loss and forgotten the variety of occasions completely laid plans have been torn up by disruptors resembling Buster Douglas, Andy Ruiz and so practically the aforementioned Francis Ngannou.

Ngannou knocks Tyson Fury throughout their 10-round heavyweight battle at Boulevard Hall on October 28, 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

In equity, this is an excellent card. It is additionally refreshing to have numerous recognisable names all competing on the identical night time. However, that maybe says extra in regards to the poor high quality of undercards we have now been accustomed to of late slightly than the supposed greatness of this one; notably after we take a look at how the UFC recurrently delivers occasions with important and significant matchups.

I’ll admit, when it was introduced that Joshua and Wilder have been to battle on the identical card in Saudi Arabia, I cynically rolled my eyes and thought that it was so typical of boxing to evade the apparent matchup and threat the mega-fight with a money-fight. Yet, as a fan, I’m nearly instinctively compelled and conditioned to observe, though I really feel silly for doing so.

But it is with the hope of higher nights to return that, regardless of boxing’s fixed faltering, I imagine it would finally get issues proper; which means, in this occasion, Joshua-Wilder will finally be served because the passable feast famished followers of the candy science must justify their claims that this is the best sport in the world.