The Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia hosts some serious heavy artillery this Saturday evening, with two big hitters in Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder seeing action in a bid to face each other early next year against, with Otto Wallin and Joseph Parker looking to spoil the party. Joshua vs Wallin tops a stacked card.
TNT Sports Box Office broadcast Joshua and Wilder’s respective bouts live in the UK, with DAZN pay-per-view holding the global rights.
Joshua (26-3, 23 KOs) will be the nominal main-eventer, and the former unified heavyweight champion takes on a tricky twelve round assignment against Otto Wallin (26-1, 14 KOs).
‘AJ’ has had some ups and downs over the last four years or so, beginning with the loss of his belts in a stunning seventh round defeat to Andy Ruiz in June 2019. He rebounded to regain his gold, but would then lose out twice to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and 2022 to leave him down the pecking order in the rankings.
The Watford man is on a run of two wins, but has looked laboured in a points win against Jermaine Franklin in April, and then a seventh round knockout of Robert Helenius, a very late replacement for Dillian Whyte, in August.
Wallin is best-known for giving Tyson Fury a stern test in a losing effort on the cards in 2019, and has eon six on the spin since. His last outing was in September, taking a split decision win over twelve against former cruiserweight world champion, Murat Gassiev.
Prediction: This could be a contest where Joshua will have to work hard and use his ring IQ to get the job done. Wallin is an awkward type, so I can envisage Joshua having to take a win on the scorecards to move closer to 2024 superfights.
Former world champs collide as Wilder meets Parker
Deontay Wilder will aim to keep his side of the bargain, and the Alabama native has a decent test of his own against former WBO world champion, Joseph Parker.
Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs) has only found trouble with Tyson Fury in his career littered with highlight-reel knockouts, having drawn in their original meeting, and then being halted in two further meetings.
‘The Bronze Bomber’ returned from that pair of losses for the WBC belt he once owned by wiping out the aforementioned Robert Helenius inside a round last October.
Although 31, Parker (33-3, 23 KOs) looks at the back end of his career. He captured the vacant WBO belt in 2016, and then shipped it to Anthony Joshua in March 2018 in Cardiff, and hasn’t been at world title level since.
He lost to Dillian Whyte in a thriller four months after the Joshua reverse, and rebuilt, but looked cumbersome before being taken out in eleven by Joe Joyce last September. Parker has won three straight since, but at a lot lower level than usual.
Prediction: Wilder is one of the biggest punchers in the sport, and I think he will test Parker’s chin early, and I think he can get the job done before the halfway mark.
Further world title competition and the return of Big Baby to the big stage
There is world title action at light heavyweight, where Dimitry Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) defends his WBA (Super) belt against IBO boss, Lyndon Arthur (23-1, 16 KOs). Bivol saw his stock rise into the stratosphere in May last year, where he took a deserved win on the cards against Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, and he backed that up last November, widely outpointing Gilberto Ramirez in Abu Dhabi.
This is a tall order for Arthur, with the Manchester man unbeaten in four since being halted in four by Anthony Yarde in a rematch in December 2021. He won the vacant IBO belt in September, although he was dropped in round four before knocking out Braian Suarez with a body shot in the tenth.
Prediction: I think Arthur will be outgunned, and stopped late on by Bivol as his frustration grows.
Jai Opetaia (23-0, 18 KOs) is another with stock on the rise, and the Aussie has dropped his IBF cruiserweight title in order to face Ellis Zorro (17-0, 7 KOs) on this bill. The governing body refused Zorro as a challenger, having mandated Opetaia to face Mairis Briedis in a rematch of their July 2022 meeting, that Opetaia won handily.
Opetaia made a first defence in ruthless fasihion in September, stopping Jordan Thompson in four.
Prediction: Zorro is in very deep here, having only been ten rounds once in his last outing, and Opetaia should get the job done early.
Credit: Dave Thompson, Matchroom Boxing
An intriguing heavyweight clash over a scheduled twelve features Daniel Dubois (19-2, 18 KOs) up against the disgraced Jarrell Miller (26-0-1, 22 KOs). Dubois is coming off a knockout loss to Oleksandr Usyk in August, where he competed well, while Miller has won three in a row since being banned for a cocktail of substances before a world title clash with Anthony Joshua.
Prediction: I can see this being a shootout, and I lean towards Dubois landing the bigger blow first to win inside schedule.
More heavyweight showcases are on offer on this mammoth card.
Filip Hrgovic (16-0, 13 KOs) is biding his time while he awaits a title shot, and the Croatian should have way too much for Mark de Mori (41-2-2, 36 KOs), who was hammered inside a round by David Haye in 2016, and has won 11 in a row since, but at the most limited of levels.
Prediction: Hrgovic should win very early here.
Credit: Mark Robinson, Matchroom
Frank Sanchez (23-0, 16 KOs) also appears, and the Cuban can also take a win inside schedule against Junior Fa (20-2, 11 KOs).
Arslanbek Makhmudov (18-0, 17 KOs) is another big puncher, and he can take a stoppage win against former European champion, Agit Kabayel (23-0, 15 KOs).
