by For weeks, boxing fans have been debating whether Anthony Joshua’s fight with Otto Wallin should headline Saudi Arabia’s seismic event, or whether Deontay Wilder’s clash with Joseph Parker should be awarded that distinction. There have been arguments about whether Joshua or Wilder has more drawing power, which of the two is more likely to win, and which bout is more likely to be competitive or even an upset.
To resolve those individual debates diplomatically: Drawing power may depend on geography and demographics; as destructive as “AJ” can be, his American counterpart may have an advantage in power; and while Wallin has a tidier record than Parker, the latter is a former world champion and arguably has a stronger resume than the Swede. Wilder could win, then – both of which are likely to produce a KO and to be upset by his opponent, as strange as that sounds.
Ultimately, though, Joshua vs. Wallin is listed as Saturday’s main event, and that decision can be justified on more subtle and interesting factors than those above.
First of all, there is Joshua’s history with Wallin. The Briton boxed the Swede twice as an amateur, making his mark in 2010 and 2011. Each contest lasted just three rounds, but the heavyweights shared the ring again as sparring partners in 2016. At the time, said Wallin to Sky Sports: “[In the amateurs] he was strong and fast, but I think he is technically better and even stronger and faster now. It’s smart, too, now. You have to be smart when sparring him, move your head and be vague to think about him. If you’re sitting back with him, he’s going to get you out of there quickly.”
Wallin was even asked if he could officially fight Joshua again, this time as a professional. “Yeah, you never know what the future holds.” The future is now, and Wallin has been praising Joshua even less in recent weeks than he did seven years ago.
Although the 33-year-old Wallin began, “I’d say he’s still one of the best heavyweights out there, and he’s made a great career for himself,” he was quick to criticize Joshua. “It has declined, and I think it has already reached its peak,” Wallin told the Daily Mail. “I think he’s mentally fragile, he’s not sure of himself. He cares what people think of him, and I think it’s hard for him when people criticize him or when there are boos in the crowd.
“I think it’s the perfect time to face AJ. He was a seek-and-destroy man, very aggressive. Then he lost that [Andy] Ruiz, he got stopped. He lost that [Oleksandr] Usyk twice. He knows he can get lost and hurt, and he doesn’t like that. He doesn’t like to be hit.”
Wallin was also keen to suggest that a lack of consistency in the corner could cost the 34-year-old with Joshua’s latest training change – his third in two-and-a-half years. In fact, Joshua has traded Rob McCracken for Robert Garcia for Derrick James for Ben Davison since 2021, and many fans are skeptical about the frequency of the change and the partnership with Davison in particular.
But Davison has his own history with Wallin. The 27-year-old Briton was in Tyson Fury’s corner in 2019, when the “Gypsy King” fought off a nasty cut to secure a decisive victory against Wallin. That’s not to say that Joshua teamed up with Davison specifically to prepare for Wallin; AJ had been training under the young coach in secret during the summer, and he knew that the fans and the pundits were skeptical – as he showed with a barbed answer to a question about Davison in November, backstage at a press conference Day of Reckoning.
But of course, the most interesting thread in Davison’s history with Wallin is his past with Fury, and even that encounter with Wilder. Joshua still hopes to box Fury one day, but it looks like AJ will have a match with former world champion Wilder next. Many people in boxing have made that claim before, but sources stand by it The Independent that Joshua vs Wilder will be one of the big fights in Saudi Arabia in 2024.
Another interesting aspect of Saturday’s main event was Wallin’s southpaw stance, as Joshua – despite his particular success against the Swede – struggled with the southpaws at times, particularly in his two point loss against Usyk. In addition, Wilder is no slouch, doing a bout with Wallin as a strange preparation for a fight with the 38-year-old American.
Perhaps the last major factor to consider is that Saturday will be Joshua’s third fight in eight months. The last time he fought that often was in 2016, and he has made it known that he wants action for some time. In that regard, this third trip of the year may be a good thing. It would be easier to make that case if it was his third straight fight under Sheamus, obviously, especially since his performance against Robert Helenius in August was an improvement on his showing in against Jermaine Franklin in April. Joshua worked his way to a decisive victory over Franklin in his first fight under James, before scoring a stunning KO of Helenius in round seven.
But Leigh Wood, recent world champion and Davison’s fellow client, believes Joshua will strike earlier against Wallin – not despite AJ having a new trainer, but as of. And don’t forget: Joshua has beaten Wallin before, and in a way, as has Davison.
