Season’s Beatings: The Day of Reckoning Card and the Future of Heavyweight Boxing

Boxing and combat sports taking place in Saudi Arabia are not a surprise to anyone. Within the last 8 years, boxing and other combat sports such as MMA have begun to turn their attention to venues outside of the United States and Europe. Turki Al-Sheikh and the Saudi government have had a great deal of interest in combat sports for a reason. Not only is it profitable, but it is a consistent motivator for the people of Saudi Arabia to get more active and involved in physical activity. Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua, two of the biggest names in heavyweight boxing history, helped promote the event in a way many did not believe was possible. Bridging the gap between boxing promoters and media teams alike, Saudi Arabia and Al-Sheikh made one of the biggest contributions to boxing of all time. It is incredibly rare to see cross-promotional events unless there are world titles involved, and for the co-main and main event to have no world titles on the line and still draw such a massive crowd says a lot about the power of promoters putting boxing politics aside to deliver the best fights to the people. There haven't been many opportunities for heavyweights across political borders to fight recently, as opposed to the way boxing functioned in its golden age. Whoever held the belts either defended them or unified against another champion. It was simple to determine who was the best in the world because there was little room for debate, as opposed to how boxing functions in its current form. When Deontay Wilder held the WBC World Heavyweight Championship, the talk of unification was consistent, but almost unheard of within the spaces where it truly mattered. This is what created the situation in which Wilder defended his belt a whopping 10 times until he lost it to Tyson Fury. Anthony Joshua has always expressed a desire to fight Wilder, but for a multitude of reasons the fight was never able to materialize. 

In the present day, this is still the case. Deontay Wilder had a life-changing opportunity given to him with a challenge against Joseph Parker on the Day of Reckoning card, and he failed so badly that Anthony Joshua had to save the potential fight during his post-fight press conference. “I’m sure from a fan perspective they’ll be more annoyed,” Joshua began. “For me, I always understand how this game is. Anything can happen. This is elite-level boxing. Wilder just came up short.” It was announced two days before the Day of Reckoning event that Joshua and Wilder had signed a two-fight deal, with the first contest happening in March of 2024. Now, with Wilder’s disappointing 12-round loss against Joseph Parker, there are too many questions and not enough answers. No one truly knows what’s next for Anthony Joshua, and his progression is now heavily dependent upon Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury’s matchup. The future of the heavyweight division is up in the air, and it's anyone's guess what happens after an undisputed champion is crowned between Usyk and Fury.

The same applies to former undefeated American heavyweight Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller. A Brooklynite and lifelong combat sports practitioner, Miller was touted to be the next big thing. After several setbacks outside of the ring, Miller was meant to make a triumphant return against "Dynamite" Daniel Dubois. He had over 100 lbs of weight over Dubois as well, stepping on the scale at 333 lbs. The media buildup was intense. The trash talk was immaculate, and the displays of boxing IQ during training were excellent, even for the standards of people who once turned their back on Miller.

After a brutal 9-round war, Miller was stopped by Dubois in an incredibly controversial fashion. There were only 14 seconds left on the clock at the time of the stoppage. While leaning back on the ropes and taunting Dubois, the ref stepped in and waved the fight off. Many fans believe Dubois could have continued fighting to the final bell of the 10th round, while others believe that Dubois earned the TKO victory. The peculiar finish to the fight is yet another chapter added to the book of heavyweight disappointment. On the bright side, there continues to be upward mobility within the cruiserweight division. The members of the 200-lb class are making waves throughout the sport, proving that even the heavier classes can make big fights happen.

In yet another foolish and corrupt decision, the IBF stripped Jai Opetaia one day before the Day of Reckoning card. However, he continued to carry his Ring Magazine Lineal Cruiserweight Championship, defending his spot at the top of the division. It has been clear for some time now that Opetaia is the man of the weight class, the one all should be chasing. Chris Billam-Smith holds the WBO World Cruiserweight Championship, but it is clear that there is a gap in skill between the two men. This was made clear by Opetaia’s poise in the ring. Opetaia violently dismantled Ellis Zorro in the very first round of their world title matchup. With 10 seconds left in the first, Opetaia stepped just outside of Zorro’s left foot for the classic southpaw advantage. In a flash, Opetaia shot the overhand left, sending the #30 ranked cruiserweight crashing to the canvas. Zorro’s head bounced off the canvas, with his neck caught in the bottom rope of the ring. Immediately, Opetaia jumped on the turnbuckle of the opposite neutral corner and celebrated with the boisterous Saudi Arabian crowd. Opetaia, despite being the lineal champion, occupies the #3 spot in the division. Zurdo Ramirez sits comfortably at #2, despite only having one fight at cruiserweight thus far against Joe Smith Jr.

The aging Badou Jack occupies the #4 spot in the division, but it is important to remember that Jack held onto the WBC World Cruiserweight Championship for just shy of a year before vacating. A fight between the former WBC champion and linear champion would be enticing. Jack would be coming in as an underdog yet again against a reigning champion, exactly as he did against Illunga Makabu in February of this year. Scoring a victory against the lineal champion would create an excellent retirement story for Jack, but for Opetaia, it would symbolize the beginning of the new guard of cruiserweights and the destruction of the old guard. No matter who Opetaia chooses to defend his Ring Magazine Lineal Cruiserweight Championship against next, it will undoubtedly be an event to remember.