NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • Deloitte Fast 50
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Boxing

Joseph Parker v Deontay Wilder: How the world reacted to the Kiwi boxer’s stunning win

NZ Herald
24 Dec, 2023 03:45 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Joseph Parker celebrates his victory over Deontay Wilder in Saudi Arabia. Photo / Getty Images

Joseph Parker celebrates his victory over Deontay Wilder in Saudi Arabia. Photo / Getty Images

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Joseph Parker’s stunning victory over Deontay Wilder has drawn rave reviews from pundits and former pros alike.

The Kiwi heavyweight was a firm underdog for the clash of two former world champions but dominated almost the entire fight, earning a unanimous victory.

The three ringside judges in Riyadh scored it 118-111, 118-110 and 120-108, indicating they had Parker winning virtually every round. Oscar De La Hoya, a former 11-time world champion, agreed and offered a succinct summation on social media: “Parker 12-0.”

World featherweight champion Amanda Serrano was similarly certain about the one-sided nature of the contest: “Horrible performance by Wilder. I gave him not a single round.”

Wilder failed to fire many shots throughout the bout, having previously earned 42 of his 43 victories by knockout. ESPN adjudged that Parker simply out-thought and out-boxed his American opponent.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“Parker’s strategy was a wise one: to avoid Wilder’s dangerous right hand and force Deontay to respect his foe’s power,” wrote Mike Coppinger. “Parker timed Wilder early and often with looping right hands over the top. The game plan seemingly made Wilder reluctant to unload his trademark reckless right hand that always finds its mark.”

Hall-of-fame promoter Frank Warren said Parker’s victory “put himself straight back at the top of the heavyweight picture”. Wilder had reportedly been set to face Anthony Joshua - who dominated Otto Wallin in the other main event on the Day of Reckoning card - before the Kiwi threw those plans into disarray.

Joseph Parker and Deontay Wilder exchange punches. Photo / Getty Images
Joseph Parker and Deontay Wilder exchange punches. Photo / Getty Images

Guardian boxing writer Donald McRae called Parker “the obvious next step” for Joshua, but said a potential rematch - after the Englishman eased past the Kiwi in a 2018 title fight - must now be considered a risk.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“In an embarrassingly one-sided fight, with Wilder looking a shell of his former self as his technical flaws were accentuated more graphically than ever before, Parker boxed with composure and belief.

“[In the eighth round], Parker unleashed a ferocious barrage of punches – beginning with a huge right hand which rocked Wilder. Parker followed up and Wilder reeled against the ropes. It was a bold yet assured attack which showed the belief coursing through him.”

In a ringside interview, Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn described Parker’s triumph as “the most one-sided heavyweight fight I’ve ever seen” and admitted “it’s ruined our plans”.

Writing on DAZN, which broadcast the fight, Liam Happe reiterated a “razor-sharp” Parker had upset the assumed state of affairs in the heavyweight division.

Discover more

Boxing

Recap: Parker stuns boxing world with win over Wilder

23 Dec 09:39 PM
Boxing

'Wilder can't outbox Joe': Parker's trainer feels variety gives him path to victory

20 Dec 04:07 PM
Boxing

'Takes a piece of your soul': What we'll learn from Parker v Wilder

22 Dec 07:00 PM

“This result not only throws a spanner in the works there, but casts a huge shadow over the assertion made by some that Wilder and Tyson Fury were a level above Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk in the heavyweight pecking order.”

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Boxing

Boxing

Kaikohe Blood & Fire | Trailer | NZIFF25

Watch
Boxing

Why Parker is destined to be robbed of undisputed title shot against Usyk

Boxing

'Not scared for you yet': Champ's warning ahead of Kiwi's undisputed title fight


Sponsored

Kiss cams and passion cohorts: how brands get famous in culture

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Boxing

Kaikohe Blood & Fire | Trailer | NZIFF25
Boxing

Kaikohe Blood & Fire | Trailer | NZIFF25

A pair of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighters from the far north town of Kaikohe battle it out in the ring; but in this gym the battle isn’t just about the glory and grit. V / NZIFF

Watch
02 Aug 01:37 AM
Why Parker is destined to be robbed of undisputed title shot against Usyk
Boxing

Why Parker is destined to be robbed of undisputed title shot against Usyk

31 Jul 04:34 AM
'Not scared for you yet': Champ's warning ahead of Kiwi's undisputed title fight
Boxing

'Not scared for you yet': Champ's warning ahead of Kiwi's undisputed title fight

26 Jul 01:05 AM


Kiss cams and passion cohorts: how brands get famous in culture
Sponsored

Kiss cams and passion cohorts: how brands get famous in culture

01 Aug 12:26 AM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP