I'll start by acknowledging this comes with hindsight. I'll also credit Parker with what I think was a confident gameplan and a good performance. Inactivity or not it takes balls to hold the centre of the ring against someone like Wilder. I'll also acknowledge that Hearn could sell sand to the Saudis (as he did with Joshua Ruiz 2), and that regardless they've made a lot of money out of the British public. That being said, this was arguably the best time to fight Wilder. 2 years of inactivity and aging, but still seen as a legitimate threat. Any fight made after this with Wilder does nowhere near the numbers. These guys are so scared about protecting their image in order to make more money in the future, they keep missing out on big paydays. Same can be said of the Fury fight which has failed to materialise. Spent so long worrying about losing that the big money generated from these fights no longer exists. The sooner these promoters get moved on from the sport the better. Lets have the best fight the best when they're at their best.
AJ wanted to fight Hurgovic next year for the stripped IBF Belt off Usyk anyway Hearn fumbled the bag
I agree, I made a thread on their very subjective months ago. These promoters can sometimes ruin their own fighters careers by waiting WAY too long to let matchups "marinate". Parker was not the sort of opponent you can take lightly, and Wilder lost. Now what?! Saudis are going to be pissed. We could've gotten closure on this era of HWs with Joshua vs Wilder winner facing the Usyk vs Fury winner for all the marbles. Now half the hype is dead. Nobody wants to be see Joshua vs Parker 2, and Joshua vs Dubois doesn't generate much interest aside from die hard U.K fans. When there's a rivalry brewing and a potentially great fight on the horizon, just make it happen goddammit. Wilder is nearly 40, even if he beat Parker he clearly doesn't have much left in the tank so the Joshua fight could've been a huge disappointment.
