On Saturday night in Saudi Arabia, Deontay Wilder put on the worst performance of his career. Joseph Parker pieced apart Wilder over the course of 12 rounds for a pretty embarrassing loss.
Even Eddie Earn thought it was terrible.
"I said in the build-up I don't rate him," he said after the fight. "Wilder had no idea, no clue. He lost 120-108, lost every round, and he's there at the end putting his hand up saying he's won the fight. He's not right. That's the reality. It was the most one-sided heavyweight fight I've ever seen. It's ruined our plans [for the Anthony Joshua fight]. We've got to go back into the changing room and let Joshua know Wilder has just lost to Parker. The future is not Deontay Wilder."
After the fight he took to the mic and announced retirement isn't completely out of the question.
"We'll see what happens, we still have a little bit left, but I did a great job managing my money," he said. "I'm a happy fighter. I'll be back, and if not, then it's been a pleasure. I don't know [if I still have the same fire I used to], a lot has calmed me down. I've been wearing this smile all week long and I'mma still wear it. Nothing can stop me on that."
His positivity after the loss led some to wonder if he threw the fight.
Has wilder been paid to lose or summat #DayOfReckoning
β Jake 'White Kong' Hadley (@JakeHadleyMMA) December 23, 2023
The way wilder is going on this fight is fixed π€£π
β Andrew Charlton Blake (@andrew75blake) December 23, 2023
One of the weirdest performances Iβve ever seen from a boxer. I know heβs not technically the best in most fights but that felt like fixing from Wilder. Threw nothing.
β J (@jackejc8_7) December 23, 2023
Here's how Twitter reacted after the fight.
Screw the mixed rules fight. If I'm Francis Ngannou I'm straight up asking for a boxing match with Deontay Wilder. I think he beats him easy.
β Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) December 23, 2023
The only good news for Wilder is that almost no one in the US watched that.
β John S. Nash (@heynottheface) December 23, 2023
Deontay Wilder just fumbled THE WHOLE BAG and seems to be happy about it. Incredible smh #DayOfReckoning
β Kel Dansby (@KelDansby) December 23, 2023
And this is why you don't fuck around and let fights over-marinate. pic.twitter.com/odLLI9Qny0
β Oscar Willis (@oscarswillis) December 23, 2023
Deontay Wilder landed just ππππππππ
β Chisanga Malata (@Chisanga_Malata) December 23, 2023
of 207 punches thrown.
That's less than 20% - 19.1 per cent.
For a man who used to land an average of 12 punches a round, that's truly shambolic.#DayOfReckoning pic.twitter.com/gNNq7O2F5e
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why you book the big fight when itβs there to be made. Joshua vs. Wilder would have been huge. Now, itβs damaged goods. Meanwhile, Francis Ngannouβs stock goes up without him lifting a finger.
β Simon Head (@simonheadsport) December 23, 2023
Im not sure it would've mattered, maybe Deontay Wilder is shot. His legs didn't look steady today. But I told Malik Scott back in March when @coach_malachi were at the Brickhouse Boxing gym, that Deontay Wilder and him needed a fight -- any fight
β Steve Kim (@SteveKim323) December 23, 2023
Because while they were doing aβ¦
The Saudis watching their Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wilder superfight collapse in front of their eyes after spending hundreds of millions on this event pic.twitter.com/w6eVWnWgMN
β OOC MMA (@oocmma) December 23, 2023
Love that Wilder was embarrassed. Now we need AJ to shit the bed and the two biggest reasons heavyweight boxing has advanced at snail's pace for the last decade are done.#DayOfReckoning
β Ant Evans (@AntEvansMMA) December 23, 2023
βSo whatβs next for Deontay Wilder?β
β MacMally π (@MacMallyMMA) December 23, 2023
Deontay: Life is amazing man, have you ever tried ayahuasca? DMT? What are you doing after this? pic.twitter.com/8a2rckBDTQ
Francis seeing Deontay Wilder right now pic.twitter.com/7UD2GCH0sR
β Jason Williams (@jasoneg33) December 23, 2023
A fight between Wilder and Francis Ngannou has been teased, but in the MMA cage for PFL. Curious if that's the route he goes after a fight like this.