Swedish contender Otto Wallin once came close to turning over the heavyweight applecart but fell just short. On December 23, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, he has another chance to score a colossal upset victory, this time over former two-time unified king Anthony Joshua.
In 2019, Wallin (26-1, 14 KOs) pushed Tyson Fury hard and inflicted what could have been a fight-ending cut around The Gypsy King’s right eye. Ultimately, Wallin lost via unanimous decision, but the 33-year-old has won six fights since and retains plenty of ambition.
According to oddsmakers, Joshua (26-3, 23 KOs) should win decisively and move onto a money-spinning showdown with Deontay Wilder. However, Wallin plans to tear up the script and he believes that AJ has seen better days.
WATCH: Joshua vs. Wallin, on DAZN PPV
“I think there’s been a decline,” Wallin exclusively told The Sporting News. “I think he’s struggled a little bit. I think he feels vulnerable. He knows he can get beat and hurt, and I think that’s been hard for him.
“When he first started out, he was doing really well. He won Olympic gold, then turned professional and was knocking everyone out. But then he had those losses [to Andy Ruiz and Oleksandr Usyk twice], and he’s second guessing himself now. He’s changed trainers three times and that’s not made him better. That’s usually a really bad sign.”
Also on Wallin’s side is his southpaw stance. While Joshua won his first world title by scoring a second-round knockout over American lefty Charles Martin in 2016, the former Olympic champ was outboxed twice by pound-for-pound southpaw Oleksandr Usyk.
“All southpaws have a way of fighting that comes very natural,” offered Wallin. “We’re good counter punchers, and I think that’s a big challenge for anyone. We are very used to fighting righties and they aren’t used to fighting southpaws.
“There’re also things I can take from the Ruiz fight. I can’t give away too much, but we have a good game plan, and I feel ready.”
Wallin is coming off a 10-round split decision win over former unified cruiserweight champion Murat Gassiev in September. The quick turnaround is good news for Wallin, who kept himself in shape at home in Sweden and was training in New York when he got the call to take part in this heavyweight mega card.
There’s also a sense of destiny about Wallin as he approaches the biggest night of his career. “It would mean a lot for everyone: my country, my people, my family, my team who stood by me for so long,” said the amiable Swede with a hint of emotion.
“There hasn’t been a [Swedish] heavyweight world champion since 1959 when Ingemar Johannson beat Floyd Patterson in New York, so it’s time for a new one. If I win this fight, then I should be in line to fight for the title.
“There are some rumours that Filip Hrgovic will be fighting for the vacant IBF title if that becomes vacant. I’m No.2 with the IBF now. I would take that fight against Hrgovic, and if it’s not him, then I’d like to fight for the other titles, whoever has those, whether it’s Fury or Uysk.”
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Another fighter looking to spring the upset is former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker, who takes on Deontay Wilder in the chief support in Riyadh. The New Zealander has the same mission as Wallin, which is to destroy all plans for a Joshua-Wilder collision.
“I think it could be a good fight,” acknowledged Wallin. “Wilder has not been active and has had just one fight in two years when he knocked out Robert Helenius.
“Parker has been active. He might pull off the upset because Andy Lee is a good coach, and they know Wilder pretty well because Fury fought him. Parker and Fury are very different fighters, but [Fury] can probably give him some insight. It depends on what Parker decides to do, but I feel that he really needs to go for it. If he tries to box, he’ll get knocked out.”
