Wilder stunned by Parker in Riyadh before Joshua outclasses Wallin

Drama and hubris, the hallmarks of boxing, returned to the ring in Riyadh when the heavily favored Deontay Wilder lost his heavyweight match against Joseph Parker. In an embarrassingly one-sided fight, with Wilder looking like a shell of himself as his technical shortcomings were accentuated more graphically than ever before, Parker boxed with composure and conviction to receive the unanimous verdict by overwhelming margins of 118-111, 118-110 and 120-108.

The grand plans of Saudi Arabia and some of boxing's most famous promoters have been ruined as this was intended to be the last remaining obstacle in Wilder's path before he seals a hugely lucrative fight against Anthony Joshua in Riyadh next March. Joshua kept his side of the deal when, in a contrasting performance of controlled brutality and vicious intent, he beat up and outclassed Otto Wallin before the disconsolate Swedish heavyweight's trainers waved the fight off at the end of the fifth round.

However, an impressive display from Joshua would have earned him even more praise had Wilder, instead of Wallin, been in the opposite corner. There could be little doubt that Joshua would have added the American's much illustrious name to his CV had their highly anticipated fight not been postponed until March. But the arrogant assumption that Wilder and Joshua would both triumph and make even more money for everyone in the process was blown to bits by the admirable and much-improved Parker.

Wilder had walked to the ring with a heavy gold crown on his head as if he were already the supreme fighter of the night. Yet he barely threw a punch in the first round, looking long and warily at Parker, who had previously won a version of the world title. Parker was slightly more aggressive, fighting on the front foot in the first few rounds, and his trainer, Andy Lee, urged him to take more risks. Lee emphasized to his fighter that he could knock Wilder out if he backed him against the ropes. But Parker knew he had to maintain his single-minded concentration as Wilder, more than any other heavyweight in the world, has the ability to score a hair-raising one-punch knockout at any moment.

In the fourth round, Parker tried to take Lee's advice and, with Wilder against the ropes, released his hands in a short flurry. Towards the end of the round he hit Wilder more effectively with an overhand right and for a moment it looked as if the American was standing unsteadily on his long, spindly legs. Midway through the fifth, Parker was dealt another solid blow as Wilder struggled with his timing having boxed just one round since losing to Tyson Fury in an epic fight in October 2021. That ferocious trilogy against Fury, which knocked him out twice , had clearly been damaging to Wilder.

Wilder shaded the sixth round, but he was far behind on the scorecards as they entered the second half of a strangely lopsided battle. He was clearly hoping to detonate a huge right hand that would knock Parker out cold. But the best punch of the round came from Parker again.

Wilder finally caught Parker with a heavy blow in the eighth, but the New Zealander absorbed the impact. A minute later, Parker unleashed a ferocious barrage of punches – starting with a huge right hand that rocked Wilder. Parker followed him and Wilder staggered against the ropes. It was a bold but confident strike that showed belief coursing through him as the bell sounded to Wilder's relief.

It took most of the ninth round for a passive Wilder to regain his composure, as he again barely landed a meaningful punch. In the final 30 seconds he finally seemed to clear his head and at the bell he landed his best right hand of the night. Parker remained alert and calm as the fight neared its end. Wilder won round 10, but he desperately needed a trademark knockout.

He threw desperate punches in the final round, finally finding the urgency he had been missing during his woeful performance. But again, the hardest blow came from Parker. Wilder raised his fist in the air at the end, but deep down he knew he had lost badly.

Twenty minutes later, just before 2:30 a.m. in Riyadh, Joshua and Wallin finally entered the ring. Joshua looked clear and focused and started much more positively than he had in recent fights. His left jab looked fluid and he went with his heavier right hand to both the body and head, while Wallin was hesitant against the former world champion. The Swedish heavyweight began bleeding from the nose midway through the second round as Joshua's club punches took their immediate toll. Now trained by Ben Davison, who used to work in Fury's corner, Joshua cut a different figure from the cautious fighter he had been in his two previous fights this year.

Wallin had performed creditably against Fury in 2019, but he is a relatively limited boxer whose southpaw stance is his only distinguishing feature. He again failed to test Joshua in the next two rounds as the British fighter methodically dominated. Wallin gasped as he returned to his corner at the end of the fourth round, lost and tired.

He was seriously injured in the fifth when the combination of a booming right cross and left hook landed with brutal results. Wallin was shaken to his core and had to endure many more punishments before the bell brought him a merciful reprieve. Joshua's beating was certain to lead to a knockout, but Wallin's corner made the wise decision to end the fight shortly after sinking to his stool with a cut, bruised, swollen and desolate face. Joshua's victory was his most impressive performance in years, but it bears repeating that Wallin is nowhere near the caliber of Fury, Oleksandr Usyk or even Parker.

After losing his world titles to Usyk, who defeated him in consecutive bouts in 2021 and 2022, Joshua is in the slow process of rebuilding his career. He can look forward to 2024 – and the hope that he will ultimately fight the winner of February's world title fight between Fury and Usyk, which will once again be held in Riyadh.

Eddie Hearn, his promoter, once again calls him the best heavyweight in the world. But with his clash with Wilder set to be abandoned, Joshua will have to prove he can deliver a performance of comparable authority against the far superior opposition to Wallin. Parker is the obvious next step, but that potential rematch between the two men would pose another risk for Joshua.

In the ring, Joshua then remained calm as he described boxing as “a treacherous business.” Wilder will understand the painful truth of these words, as his explosive but deeply flawed career is now surely much closer to a sad end.