SUMMARY
- After a solid back and forth with Otto Wallin, Joshua was able to inflict serious damage.
- Unfortunately, despite what many predicted, Deontay Wilder suffered his third career loss to Joseph Parker.
“Day of Reckoning” is under the belt, and what a night the fans have just experienced! Coming into this one, there were a lot of expectations from the fans, which were fully delivered by the fighters. As such, let’s take a look at how Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, and others fared on the night.
For the most part, fans were promised a jam-packed night of some epic boxing action out of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. With top-level fighters like AJ, Deontay Wilder, and Dmitry Bivol all on the same card, the expectations were sky-high. As such, the night was filled with dominant results, big finishes, and some shocking surprises as well.
Back to his old ways?
Anthony Joshua delivers powerful shots on his way to an early stoppage win.#RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/lD4VHbXYKw
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) December 24, 2023
In the main event, the fans witnessed Anthony Joshua make a dominant return. Taking his tally up to three wins in 2023, the Englishman added to his streak en route to yet another title. After a solid back and forth with Otto Wallin, Joshua was able to inflict serious damage, prompting the Swede’s corner to throw in the towel.
On the other hand, we witnessed a big shocker in the co-main event of the evening. Unfortunately, despite what many predicted, Deontay Wilder suffered his third career loss to Joseph Parker. Following a rather slow start from the American, he struggled to find his rhythm and get going. Eventually, Parker walked away with the unanimous decision win, which was almost too dominant to believe.
Day of Reckoning full fight card results
As such, let us now take a look at all the results from the night. Whilst many will be fixated on the results of the main and co-main events, here is a look at what went down elsewhere. Notably, Dmitry Bivol enjoyed a successful defense of his WBA Light Heavyweight strap. Posing a shutout to his opponent, Lyndon Arthur, there was little doubt Bivol would not get his hand raised.
Similarly, Daniel Dubois also put in an excellent performance against Jarrell Miller. After a largely entertaining affair, ‘Dynamite’ was able to put an end to the contest with 6 seconds left of the final round. Moreover, Agit Kabayel beat Arslanbek Makhmudov in what was the second shocking result of the evening. With that said, let’s take a look at the rest of the results that some may have missed.
Main Card
Anthony Joshua def. Otto Wallin via TKO (Round 5)
Joseph Parker def. Deontay Wilder via unanimous decision (118-111, 118-110, 120-108)
Dmitry Bivol (c) def. Lyndon Arthur via unanimous decision (120-107, 120-107, 120-107)
Daniel Dubois def. Jarrell Miller via TKO (Round 10)
Agit Kabayel def. Arslanbek Makhmudov via TKO (Round 4)
Jai Opetaia def. Ellis Zorro via KO (Round 1)
Filip Hrgovic def. Mark De Morio via TKO (Round 1)
Frank Sanchez def. Junior Fa via TKO (Round 7)
Anthony Joshua vs Otto Wallin PPV buys, gate and more
For the most part, “Day of Reckoning” was likely one of the most successful events of the year. Live out of what was seemingly a sold-out Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the event saw the presence of many big names. Notably, UFC icon Conor McGregor and Al-Nassr soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo were among the key celebrity guests.
As for the event itself, sources have indicated an expected PPV buyout of over $1 million. Prior to the event, it was revealed that the “Day of Reckoning” PPV will be available for £19.99 in the UK, $39.99 in the USA and Canada, and $21.99 for the rest of the world. Initially, considering the steep prices fans have paid this year, the PPV seemed like a bargain to many. Thus, there was a big expectation that the fights would do great numbers.
‼️ Eddie Hearn has confirmed that Anthony Joshua will now likely fight Filip Hrgovic for the vacant IBF heavyweight world title after Deontay Wilder lost: “We signed for Wilder, he lost tonight. Maybe it’s a blessing because AJ wants to become a three-time heavyweight world…
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) December 24, 2023
As for the future, many believe that the AJ-Deontay Wilder fight has gone down the drain owing to the latter’s performance. Thus, promoter Eddie Hearn believes that Joshua will likely face Filip Hrgovic for the vacant IBF heavyweight world title next. Interestingly, Hrgovic was also on the card tonight and finished Mark De Morio within round one.