Otto Wallin looked relaxed today, enjoying his final press conference with an intense, troubled-looking Anthony Joshua ahead of their fight this Saturday night on December 23rd.
Joshua (26-3, 23 KOs) had the appearance of someone who is trying hard to intimidate, like it’s the last thing he has to hide his vulnerability, and it’s so utterly transparent. AJ resembled an actor on stage, posing and failing to convince anyone.
As Eddie Hearn points out, Wallin (26-1, 14 KOs) views the 34-year-old Joshua as a fighter in decline, living off the memories of his best years, and ready to be sent into retirement on Saturday night by the big Swede.
Joshua’s fragile facade
“He used to be a happy guy, but from what I see now, he seems very stiff and tense. Maybe he’s fed up with all of this stuff,” said Otto Wallin about Joshua.
It’s never pleasant when a fighter is near the end of their career and winds up as food for their opponents. Joshua is now reduced to fishbait for the young killers in the division, and even the not-so-young ones like the 33-year-old Wallin, who has fewer miles on his odometer and hasn’t been affected mentally like AJ.
“It’s not the ideal pick. It’s not someone we would say, ‘Oh, yeah, Otto Wallin,’ but it’s a real good fight,” said Eddie Hearn to talkSPORT Boxing, discussing Anthony Joshua’s opponent, Otto Wallin, for Saturday’s headliner in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“It’s a tricky fight. It’s a guy that we’ve looked at for the last couple of fights, but you wouldn’t lead up to Deontay Wilder with a 6’5″ southpaw, who is tricky and awkward,” said Hearn about Wallin being a different type of fighter than Wilder, who fights out of the orthodox stance, power and with quick hands.
It’s a tricky fight for sure, and Hearn might end up feeling regret if Joshua gets beaten up and sent packing by Wallin. Could an easier opponent have been picked out for AJ to fight, someone with less size, and ability and without an impeccable amateur pedigree? Probably, but it’s too late now.
“His Excellency [Turki Alalshikh] approached us to do Joshua against Wallin. That was the fight that we were approached with. AJ said, ‘Yes,’ and [trainer] Ben Davison was happy with that fight as well. They’ve [Joshua & Wallin] have history. They’ve sparred together, and they’ve fought in the amateurs,” said Hearn.
Wallin’s belief: AJ in decline
“When you look at Wallin’s career, he was unlucky not to beat Tyson. Any place and anywhere in the world, that fight gets stopped, and Wallin wins that fight. He just beat Gassiev away from home, and that’s a big win as well.”
The Tyson Fury vs. Otto Wallin situation was an odd one, similar to Fury’s fights against Deontay Wilder, where the referees saved him from knockouts in fights that should have been stopped.
Wallin should have been given the victory against Fury, but the referee and ringside doctor allowed the contest to continue despite the massive cut that Tyson had suffered early in the fight. Otto should be undefeated today and perhaps the WBC champion, but the referee saved Fury again.
“What I see from Otto Wallin is a lot of confidence. He’s walking around with a little bit of swag. He believes AJ is in decline. We’ll see,” said Hearn. “I don’t think so.
“I think he’s fresh; he’s in a great place. I haven’t heard what I’ve heard coming out of camp for quite a long time, in terms of how he’s looking, what’s been happening in sparring. Someone like Ben Davison sitting down with me and going, ‘Jesus, this man is an animal.'”
Joshua is in decline, and it’s pointless for Hearn to deny what the world sees. His 3-3 in his last fight shows that he’s fading, and it’s not going to get better, no matter who’s training him.
“I’m like, ‘Really?’ ‘He’s been doing this, he’s been doing this.’ ‘Alright, okay.’ Maybe he’s got his belief. With Joshua, he’s not the kind of fighter that you can kind of massage his neck and say, ‘Come on, mate. Just get in there and let your hands go.’ He’ll say, ‘How? Why? What’s it going to do?'” said hearn.
“He needs to understand. As long as Joshua feels comfortable with the game plan and what he’s got to do, he buys in and gets that confidence,” said Hearn.
