Deontay Wilder knocking Robert Helenius spark out in one round between facing Tyson Fury, and Joseph Parker cost him dearly.
That’s the view of former undisputed heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis. The Briton says Wilder needed to get rounds under his belt while inactive. Instead, he blasted out Helenius in 177 seconds.
The October 2022 headliner was the only time Wilder entered a ring following his trilogy with Fury, which ended in late 2021.
By the time Wilder faced Parker two years later, he had less than a session of competitive boxing behind him. Lewis believes this was a decisive factor in the Saudi Arabia defeat.
Deontay Wilder had ring rust
Parker dominated a shot-shy Wilder, who was underweight, underprepared, and uninterested in the ‘Day of Reckoning’ co-headliner.
Wilder wanted to face Anthony Joshua, who was kept away from him again in favor of a semi-final that proved to be one of the most shocking blueprints of all time.
Lewis sees ring rust as a massive contributor to Parker’s impressive, unanimous decision triumph. The ex-champion expected Wilder to announce his retirement rather than another big event at that stage.
“I didn’t think he was going to step in the ring again,” Lewis told Ring Magazine. “When he took this fight, he had one round in two years against Robert Helenius. That didn’t really show anything. It actually did him more harm because he needed the work in that fight. Now, all of a sudden, he’s come to a big fight [against Parker on December 23].
“I know what [his team] did. I think his business mind took it because he was in no way prepared for Parker. He was not [prepared], even with a warm-up fight. He said he’s not going to be rusty.
“But he’s not Houdini. Everybody gets rusty. What he’s saying didn’t really compute to me.”
Parker
On Parker’s contrasting preparations for Wilder, Lewis added: “Parker’s last fight [a KO of Simon Kean] was amazing. The man looked good.
“He looked fierce, and he’s got a great trainer [Fury’s cousin Andy Lee], who brought out a lot more confidence in his boxing and more focus.
“I like what Parker’s done. If the guy is not throwing punches at you, make him pay and throw punches and combinations at him.”
“The Bronze Bomber” paid for his complacency. He needs to show more in the coming months or walk away from the sport for good.
