Fight Weekend Recap
Jai Opetaia, the former IBF cruiserweight belt holder, was forced to vacate his belt before the 12/23 fight against Ellis Zorro. After a bit of a feeling-out process over the opening few moments of the fight. Opetaia started to press more and throw in combination. The pressure began backing Zorro up. However, there wasn't a ton of action, and the round seemed more like a getting-to-know-you round until the Australian scored a mammoth left hand to the side of Zorro's jaw with a few seconds left in the opening stanza. There was no chance Zorro was going to beat the count and continue, and the official stoppage came at 2:56 of round one of a scheduled 12-round non-title fight.
The 333 lb Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller just did not have the gas tank to keep seriously competing, and Dubois was simply the better fighter, period. Dubois (20-2, 19 KO) hammered away on Miller (26-1-1, 22 KO) in the 10th round, leading to the referee stopping the fight. Dubois bounced back nicely from his loss to Usyk, which he by inches lost his chance to become a unified heavyweight champion when a borderline punch was ruled low.
Pound for Pound Elite and WBA Light Heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol through an impressive shoutout of rugged contender Lyndon Arthur. The issue was never in doubt as Bivol controlled the fight with combination punching and a stiff jab that he used to dictate the range, and the would unload in flurries and took a 120-107 X3 unanimous decision.
A split PPV card that was supposed to highlight Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder and bring them together for a mega fight in 2024 hit another speed bump, Deontay Wilder didn't just lose to Joseph Parker, he got utterly dominated and nearly stopped in the eighth round. Parker started to pour the shots on a hurt and beaten Bronze Bomber. Parker worked behind a steady jab, mixing it up to head and body and stood up to Wilder's typically vicious right hand in the third round and ate it well. He was able to tie up Wilder and moved on nicely. There Was never another threat. The former WBC heavyweight title holder never again landed super clean a big right hand in the sixth grazed Parker and was still able to drive him backward and cause him to shell up. In the 12th, Wilder threw caution to the wind and swung for the fences but mostly ate counter right hands from Parker for his troubles. Going to the cards the judges handed in honest scorecards of 118-110 X2 and 120-108.
Anthony Joshua looks to be back in reviving his career following the two one-sided losses to Usyk. AJ dominated Otto Wallin over six one-sided rounds that caused the corner to throw in the towel. Joshua started quickly this time out and busted up his opponets nice mouth, having his man gushing blood nearly from the get-go. In Round 5, Joshua landed a heavy right hand followed by a left hook that sent Wallin stumbling. Joshua tried to pile on the big shots to get the stoppage, but Wallin was able to survive to the bell. However, the corner had decided their man had seen enough and waved the bout off, giving AJ the 5th-round TKO victory and moving his record to 27-3 (24).
