Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin – Complete Domination
RIYADH, Dec. 24 – Anthony Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs) picked up his third win of the year with a stoppage victory over Otto Wallin (26-2, 14 KOs, 1 NC). Wallin did not leave his corner to fight on in the sixth.
The fight headlined a night of fights billed as “Day of Reckoning” at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This was part of Riyadh Season, a state-funded entertainment and sports festival in the country. It aired live as a PPV around the world on DAZN. Viewers in the UK and Ireland could also purchase the card on TNT Sports Box Office. In the United States, ESPN+ also broadcasted the event as a PPV.
Big Fight Weekend has been present all week – bringing you all the previews, analysis, and final recaps. Below is our final recap of a fight that saw AJ come out on top.
Anthony Joshua Defeats Otto Wallin
Total Domination at ‘Day of Reckoning’
The opening round saw a fair bit of pawing from the two. Wallin stayed along the ropes for the most part while Joshua would inch towards him. The second saw AJ have success with the straight right and the action mostly moving to the centre of the ring.
Joshua went back to pressing Wallin to the edge of the ring in round three. Although not a slugfest, the former heavyweight champion landed consistently to the head and body, landing more overall than his opponent.
Joshua mixed things up in this bout, never allowing his opponent to settle. As the rounds went on, he appeared to become more and more confident. Round five saw Joshua continue to apply pressure on Wallin, stunning him and doing visible damage to the nose.
Following the fifth, Wallin’s corner did not let him come out of his corner to continue fighting in the sixth, giving AJ the stoppage win.
Post-Fight Quotes
In the post-fight interview, Joshua spoke on his opponent: “I respect Otto.” He also said: “I know how important this fight was for me.”
Joshua was asked how he would feel becoming 3x heavyweight champion: “That would be great.”
Eddie Hearn could not hide his delight after the fight: “He’s back. Ben Davison and the team told me he was back.”
Speaking on what comes next, Hearn said: “It will be Hrgović against AJ for the world title (IBF).”
Check out our recap of the first four fights on the undercard of “Day of Reckoning,” which included a heavyweight upset. The co-main event also saw Joseph Parker defeat Deontay Wilder by unanimous decision.
Currently writing out of Toronto, Canada, Saadeq first became a boxing fan while living in Doha, Qatar. Looking to become more involved in the sport, he began writing about boxing and has had work published in outlets such as Seconds Out and Boxing Social. He looks forward to continue covering boxing on Big Fight Weekend.
