Otto Wallin, the former WBA Continental and Inter-Continental champion, has now shared the ring with both Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, and concludes that the latter proved to be a more difficult challenge for him.
Otto Wallin finally breaks silence over Anthony Joshua loss
Wallin headlined the recently held “Day Of Reckoning” blockbuster boxing event along with Joshua on 23rd December at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Wallin retired in the fifth round, marking his first defeat since losing to “The Gypsy King” back in September 2019.
Comparing his last two losses, Wallin told Boxing News ED that he found AJ to be much tougher than Fury, against whom Wallin had gone the distance and almost caused an upset before losing via unanimous decision.
“I really have no excuses, he was just better. He hit me with some really good shots. He was just better… It was a much tougher fight than what I had with Tyson Fury. Maybe he’s found his home with Ben Davison.” [H/T Michael Benson on X]
Otto Wallin on his defeat to Anthony Joshua: “I really have no excuses, he was just better. He hit me with some really good shots. He was just better… It was a much tougher fight than what I had with Tyson Fury. Maybe he's found his home with Ben Davison.” [@BoxingNewsED]
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) December 30, 2023
Joshua and Fury had been in multiple dialogues in the past when AJ still held the unified WBA, WBO and IBF championships, but the undisputed champiosnhip between them never actually materialized.
While Fury went onto defend his WBC belt against Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora, Joshua suffered back to back losses against Oleksandr Usyk, losing his titles. The Brit, however, returned to winning ways with three wins this year- defeating Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius and most recently, Wallin.
Joshua has been eager to face Deontay Wilder, who was featured in the co-main event against Joseph Parker at the “Day Of Reckoning” event. The two even entered a two fight deal ahead of the event, with their first fight scheduled for March 2024. The contingent for the fight was that both Joshua and Wilder win their respective fights in Riyadh. The former WBC champ, however, suffered a loss against Parker, creating the March fight a big question mark.
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