by Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, Joseph Parker and Daniel Dubois will fight on the same card this weekend on the night of boxing’s elite known as ‘Day of Reckoning’.
The event replaces Tyson Fury’s delayed fight with Oleksandr Usyk, which is now expected to take place in early 2024 following Fury’s lackluster performance against Francis Ngannou.
Unusually, rival promoters Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren both have fighters on the same card, with the promotional press conference being held in the same room for the first time.
Hearn and Warren have traded many barbs over the years, but have put their differences aside in a move that could improve the chances of a dream fight between Fury and Joshua in the future.
Joshua must first get past Sweden’s Otto Wallin, and victory could set up a date with Wilder if the American takes care of business against Parker.
When is Anthony Joshua vs Otto Wallin?
Saturday, December 23. An exact start time is difficult to guarantee in the world of pay-per-view boxing, but the fight is unlikely to start before 10.30pm UK time if this is, as expected, the final clash of the night.
Joshua has had problems against southpaws in the past, which will be tested against the 33-year-old Wallin.
What are the fighters saying?
In an interview with Telegraph Sport Wallin revealed he noticed a chink in Joshua’s armor saying: “I think he feels he’s vulnerable … he knows he can lose, and I think he is now fighting not to lose, instead of fighting. to win.”
Read the full interview here
When is Deontay Wilder vs Joseph Parker?
Also on Saturday, December 23. Wilder vs. Parker is likely to be the penultimate fight – earlier than Joshua vs. Wallin – but the exact start time could depend on the length of the undercard fights.
What are the fighters saying?
Ahead of Saturday’s fight Wilder told Telegraph Sport how he spent his time away from the ring. The heavyweights have been in Costa Rica as they tackle the psychedelic world of self-discovery. “They did the medicine on the spot, the DMT (Dimenthyltryptamine), and it was just a beautiful experience. It helped me in my life. I am one of the happiest people I know in the world, and God is good.” You can read the interview here.
Where are the fights taking place?
In the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh. The Kingdom is looking to establish itself as the destination for boxing’s biggest events, especially in the heavyweight division, after hosting Fury vs Ngannou and Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019. Fury vs Usyk also held in Saudi Arabia.
His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA), said: “The ‘Day of Reckoning’ fights are a highly anticipated event that Riyadh Season offers boxing fans this year. It brings together some of the boxing champions of the world in groundbreaking bouts.”
Hearn said: “We are delighted to be returning to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the Riyadh Season and what will ultimately be a historic event for our sport. I would like to thank His Excellency Turki Alalshikh for providing us with this wonderful opportunity.”
Why are they on the same night?
Having set this date aside for Fury-Usyk (which has since been rearranged) the Saudi organizers did not want to let the December 23 date pass without a major event.
“At the end of the day, money makes fights – and that’s what’s doing it,” Warren told talkSPORT. “Everyone is getting what they want and it’s been great.”
Hearn added: “Nobody had time to think about it. Nobody had time to watch old interviews and think, ‘He said that!’
“Our instructions were very clear from His Excellency. As with Frank… ‘I don’t care about all this stuff between you guys. This is what I want. Make it happen’.
“I truly believe that if the arrangement is right, if the situation is right, if the opportunity is there for our fighters – we will do everything we can to make it happen.
How can I watch it in the UK?
In the UK, the entire event will be broadcast on pay-per-view on Dazn and TNT Sports Box Office. It will cost £19.99 on either platform.
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Dazn customers can purchase the fight on www.dazn.com or through the Dazn app, which is accessible on their Smart TVs, streaming sticks, laptops, tablets, mobile phones and game consoles .
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Sky customers can buy on channel 494 via their remote control or via https://www.sky.com/boxoffice/tnt-sports
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Virgin Media TV customers in the UK: customers with a TiVo and/or V6 set-top box should visit the On Demand section and select Live Events; customers with a Virgin TV 360 and/or Stream set-top box should go to the Pay-per-View Events channel.
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EE TV customers can go to channel 495 and pay for their remote control.
Who is on the card below?
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Co-main event: Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin
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Co-main event: Deontay Wilder vs. Joseph Parker
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Daniel Dubois vs. Jarrell Miller
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Dmitry Bivol vs Lyndon Arthur
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Jai Opetaia vs Ellis Zorro
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Filip Hrgovic vs Mark de Mori
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Arslanbek Makhmudov vs Agit Kabayel
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Frank Sanchez vs. Junior Fa
What are the odds?
“Wallin is doing well,” Hearn said recently. “They have had spare rounds before. AJ beat him in the amateurs – it was a long time ago, yes, but really, ideally, you don’t want to be fighting a right foot, but you should be dealing with Otto Wallin. And we have a lot of faith in AJ’s ability to take that fight, win that fight. But it will be tricky. And he has to be aggressive in that fight. I believe he will stop it.”
“[Parker] to be worried,” Wilder said. “Anyone in front of me should be concerned. Women lie, men lie, but numbers don’t lie and I’m the toughest person in the history of boxing and numbers don’t lie at all. Every guy I’ve faced I’ve knocked out or put on the canvas, so I’m very dangerous and he should be aware of that.
“I don’t think this is going to be a long drawn out fight, I think it will be over before you know it.”
