It looked likely that Dillian Whyte would face Chris Arreola on October 30 at The O2 in his big “Homecoming” fight; with Eddie Hearn having told us how Arreola was the “frontrunner” to be Whyte’s next dance partner. That match-up made sense, as Arreola gave Andy Ruiz a tough time of things back in May, dropping the former champ in a good action affair. Whyte, who has exchanged plenty of words with Ruiz and wants to face him, wanted to fight Arreola and he wanted to stop him, this in a ‘I’m better than you’ type of statement to Ruiz.
But now we know Whyte will instead face Otto Wallin on October 30. This too is a fight that makes sense, as Wallin, in his sole pro defeat, pushed Tyson Fury hard, cutting him badly over the eye and appearing to be close to having the September 2019 fight stopped in his favour. Now, Whyte – who very much wants to fight Fury – has the chance to do what Fury could not do and stop Wallin. If he can do it, Whyte, 28-2(19) will make quite a statement.
But can Whyte halt the tall southpaw from Sweden? Wallin, 22-1 with 14 KO’s, who has won three on the spin since losing on points to Fury, is a proven fighter. Durable and physically strong, Wallin is also hungry. Once again, Whyte, the interim WBC heavyweight champ, is laying it all on the line against a dangerous foe. And Whyte as we know has already more than earned himself a shot at the world title.
Whyte-Wallin should prove to be a good fight, an exciting fight. It’s not all that hard to make a case for a Wallin win, perhaps a decision win. While Whyte will of course be looking for that stoppage or KO win. Whyte loves to fight, Wallin is in the hunt for a second world title shot.
Credit to both guys for agreeing to face one another. With a solid under-card, The O2 in London should be rocking on the night. Who wins – Whyte or Wallin? Does this one go the distance?