Deontay Wilder has fought less than one round in bouts that count over the past 26 months.

The former WBC heavyweight champion knocked Robert Helenius cold in the first round of Wilder’s only fight since his brutal battle with Tyson Fury in October 2021. Joseph Parker has fought five times since his friend Fury survived two fourth-round knockdowns and dropped Wilder three times on his way to a violent 11th-round knockout in their third fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Even though one of those bouts resulted in Joe Joyce knocking out Parker in the 11th round, the former WBO champion feels his level of activity is an advantage entering his 12-round fight with Wilder on Saturday night at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Parker and Wilder discussed Wilder’s inactivity during a “Face Off” segment with former two-division champion Carl Frampton for TNT Sports.

“Deontay hasn’t been in the ring for a while,” Parker said. “His last fight was a year ago and before that, it was a while before that as well. So, I think coming into this fight I’ve been busy, and I’ve been active. And, you know, ring rust – is he gonna bring ring rust? Or is the training gonna pay off? You know, he’s got a good coach in Malik Scott. I’m sure he has a great team.”

New Zealand’s Parker (33-3, 23 KOs) has fought three times since London’s Joyce (15-2, 14 KOs) knocked him out in September 2022 at AO Arena in Manchester, England.

Parker, 31, most recently tore through Quebec’s Simon Kean (23-2, 22 KOs) in the third round October 28 on the Tyson Fury-Francis Ngannou undercard in Riyadh. He’ll fight for the second time in just eight weeks when he steps into the ring with Wilder in the co-feature before former IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO champ Anthony Joshua (26-3, 23 KOs) opposes Swedish southpaw Otto Wallin (26-1, 14 KOs, 1 NC) in the 12-round main event.

Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs), of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, has been inactive since he nailed Helenius (32-5, 21 KOs) with a right hand that emphatically ended their 12-round fight 2:57 into it in October 2022 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The 38-year-old knockout artist assured Frampton and Parker that he isn’t concerned about his lengthy layoff.

“Not at all,” Wilder said. “When I look at that, I just think I’m just [preserved]. I’m just fresh right now, and then just ready to go. Most of all, just excited. Although this is a short notice fight that we both have – but, you know, I’m a world-class athlete. You know, this is nothing short of what I’m used to.”

DraftKings sportsbook has installed Wilder as a 6-1 favorite to top Parker. Their 12-round, non-title bout will be part of an eight-fight pay-per-view show scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. GMT in the United Kingdom (£19.99) and 11 a.m. ET in the United States ($39.99).

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.