Anthony Joshua faces his toughest test of the year in Swedish southpaw Otto Wallin, a win propelling him to a long-awaited mega-fight with fellow former champion Deontay Wilder.

Despite what’s on offer should he be victorious, ‘AJ’ will not be overlooking Wallin, who almost upset Tyson Fury’s plans a few years back before ultimately losing a tough-fought unanimous decision.

An intriguing thread to the narrative of the fight is that Joshua will not utilise the services of Derrick James, the Texan trainer who has overseen his two comeback wins this year against Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius.

Instead, and reportedly for one-fight logistical reasons, the Brit teams up with ex Fury coach Ben Davison, who’s last fight in ‘The Gypsy King’s corner was against Wallin.

Speaking to Seconds Out, super-middleweight world champion turned pundit George Groves said he was intrigued by the link up.

“I’m not sure the situation why there was a change of trainer whether it was a logistical problem or an actual problem, but Ben Davison is a very good trainer. A very, very good trainer.

He’s worked with a lot of good fighters at the highest level and I’m sure he’ll want to bring a little something to Joshua, but he’s a clever enough trainer to know that he doesn’t have to make wholesale changes or reinvent the wheel. Joshua the same – he’s been through the mill, he’s vastly experience, he knows what works for him. It could be a really good link up. I’m looking forward to seeing what they come up with.”

Whilst ‘Saint’ George believes Wallin’s lefty stance could pose some problems, he said he can’t see by a Joshua win.

“Otto Wallin might be a tricky, tough fight. Usyk was a tricky character, and maybe Otto Wallin, another southpaw, could be a tricky fight. I can’t see anything apart from a Joshua win, but you never know.”

The fight takes place in Saudi Arabia on December 23, joined by Deontay Wilder-Joseph Parker and Daniel Dubois-Jarrell Miller.

Anthony Joshua has finally reacted to one of the highest profile heavyweight bouts of the year in Tyson Fury versus Francis Ngannou.

‘The Gypsy King’ welcomed Ngannou, a former UFC Heavyweight Champion, to the boxing ring for his first professional fight. Flipping the script that he would struggle, the underdog dropped Fury in the third and made it the ten-round distance, only losing out on a split-decision.

The scores were 95-94 and 96-93 for Fury, while the final judge had it 95-94 for Ngannou.

Joshua – who was in brief talks to face Ngannou and has had a long but as yet unfought rivalry with Fury – told TNT Sports he feels the MMA man won.

“I think Ngannou won, but the refs are there for a reason. They score it how they score it. I’m just an observer. Fury won, but I think from a fan’s point of view that Ngannou won.”

Joshua then relished in making Fury eat his words. The WBC Champion has often branded him a ‘bodybuilder who can’t fight’, and made fun of Ngannou’s impressive figure in the same vein.

“Bodybuilders up, dossers down. He just looked like a fat slob that just can’t fight. And he says that bodybuilders can’t fight, but he got smacked up by one.”

“I’ve always wanted to get in the ring with him. He does a lot of talking, calls me a bodybuilder and stuff, but one of my African pals who’s a bodybuilder stepped in and smacked him up for me.”

‘AJ’ then sympathised with his countryman, who will go into an undisputed fight with Oleksandr Usyk on February 17.

“It’s tough at the top. It is so tough at the top. Getting there’s one thing but staying there is another. You’re starting to see. That wasn’t even a world title fight. I think he’s had four world title fights. I had 12. It’s tough man, it’s not easy. Good luck to him anyway, but he’s gotta stop running his mouth cause it does come back and bite you.”

Anthony Joshua returns to the ring this month against Otto Wallin, a win there and some other puzzle pieces falling into place setting up a clash with Deontay Wilder and, in the future, Fury.

There’s perhaps no more bitter a heavyweight rival than Anthony Joshua and Jarrell Miller.

The two fighters haven’t yet made it into the ring, but have had plenty of verbals at press conferences and appear to harbour genuine bad blood.

That hasn’t stopped the controversial American from giving credit where it’s due.

In a promotional feature with DAZN, Miller rated the knockouts of fellow fighters, and was shown ‘AJ’s finish of Dillian Whyte back in 2015. Despite the animosity, he gave it top marks.

“Even though I can’t stand AJ, I would definitely give this one a 5 too. It was a good shot”

Joshua and Whyte met for the British Heavyweight title following a bitter build-up that promised spitfeful action from the first bell. The fight delivered on that front, with the favourite quickly disregarded his gameplan in favour of a firefight.

Joshua was notably wobbled by Whyte in an exchange, but it was a storm he would weather before delivering the final blow – an uppercut to cap off an unanswered flurry that sent Whyte onto his back out cold.

Joshua won the IBF Heavyweight World title in his next outing against Charles Martin, added the WBO to his collection against Wladimir Klitschko one year later and took the WBA from Joseph Parker in 2018.

Miller was to get a shot at all three of those belts in New York, but tested positive for various banned substances and was replaced with Andy Ruiz Jr – the man who changed the trajectory of Joshua’s career by handing him his first loss.

The Brit won the titles back in an immediate rematch, but would later lose them to Oleksandr Usyk and fail in his second crack at beating the Ukrainian.

He looks to continue to fight his way back to the top on December 23, sharing a card with Miller who faces Daniel Dubois.

Former cruiserweight champion Johnny Nelson believes Anthony Joshua is near the end of his career.

Joshua has endured a challenging couple of years since winning back his IBF, WBA and WBO world titles from Andy Ruiz in a rematch of their first fight in which he was on the wrong end of a shocking upset.

His first fight after that in December 2020 was what many saw as a laboured knockout win over the ageing Kubrat Pulev in the ninth round. He then took back-to-back losses over 24 rounds to talented Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk and had something of an outburst in the ring afterwards which suggested his mental state was unsettled.

Since then he has had routine if unsensational wins against Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius, both of which have set him up for this third and final fight of 2023 against Otto Wallin.

It comes on a huge card in Saudi Arabia alongside the likes of Deontay Wilder versus Joseph Parker, Daniel Dubois versus Jarrell Miller and several more and will be Joshua’s first fight under latest trainer Ben Davison.

Speaking to Boxing King Media, Sky pundit Nelson has now said he thinks Joshua choosing Davison could be a bad sign.

“I could be wrong but if AJ has chosen Ben Davison to be his coach, to stay at home, I think he’s cutting corners. And if he’s cutting corners at this stage it tells me his ambition to be the best has gone, to pay for the best, to work for the best, it tells me he’s just biding time just to get through this fight.”

Nelson then said he is worried Joshua is underestimating his opponent with this move and that it could lead to the end of his career.

“He’s making the same mistake again, he’s underestimating the man in front of him and he will get turned over. He did it with Ruiz the first time. Don’t make the same mistake again. That’s not a good sign from a man who wants to be the three-time champion of the world. He’s making up the numbers, he’s getting through it and I wouldn’t be surprised if in a year he was done.”

Joshua will be hoping that Nelson is wrong and that he can get through Otto Wallin and finally secure a huge fight with Deontay Wilder in 2024, although a common opponent of both men, Eric Molina, advises against that.

The countdown for the spectacular showdown on December 23rd has begun as Anthony Joshua prepares to face off against Otto Wallin, and Deontay Wilder steps into the ring against Joseph Parker for the ‘Day of Reckoning’. However, boxing enthusiasts can rejoice as, in an unexpected turn of events, the PPV prices for this thrilling night of boxing have been slashed, making it an even more enticing affair for fans around the globe.

Retweeting Turki Alalshikh’s post, sports journalist Micheal Benson confirmed the exciting news. This bold move aims to make the event accessible to a wider audience, fostering inclusivity and ensuring that every boxing aficionado can be part of this exhilarating evening.

Turki Alalshikh capped the prices at, “US + Canada: 39.99 USD • UK: 19.99 GBP • Rest of the World: 21.99 USD.” Additionally, with a lineup where every bout could easily headline, the anticipation for ‘Day of Reckoning’ is reaching a fever pitch. “We want all boxing fans to be able to join this evening with us, so we have requested that all of our broadcast partners reduce the Pay per view,” His Excellency wrote in his post. Fan reactions to the reduced PPV prices have been overwhelmingly positive. One enthusiast on social media celebrated the news as a win for boxing stating, “This actually is good for boxing.”

Undoubtedly, the decision to slash PPV prices has resonated positively among fans. In Particular, Saudi Arabia is more serious about boxing than the West, and fans and pundits are beginning to notice the country’s dedication to the sport.

Oleksandr Usyk’s promoter, Alex Krassyuk, says that Saudi Arabia will take a leading role in changing boxing’s matchmaking dynamics. The upcoming “Day of Reckoning” on December 23, hosted by Saudi Arabia, will feature two main events: Deontay Wilder vs. Anthony Joshua vs. Joseph Parker. Furthermore, this event has high-profile cards, featuring some of the fighters like Daniel Dubois, Filip Hrgovic, and Dmitry Bivol.

According to Krassyuk, this highlights the importance of Saudi Arabia’s enthusiasm for boxing, breaking down the barriers between the promoters who were often reluctant to collaborate due to the revenue-sharing issues. He commends the organizers, explaining how these people went out of their way to fulfill fans’ dreams by putting the best fighters and promoters, who in the past might have doubted each other, together.

The convergence of all these renowned fighters and promoters in one night is a milestone in boxing history, surpassing traditional challenges based on networking and contracts. This event promises to leave a lasting impression on the boxing world as the hype builds among the fans and as they anticipate some exciting matchups ahead.

Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua in the same ring is a dream fight for countless boxing enthusiasts. Recently, Wilder publicly called out Joshua for a potential fight. In his opinion, if Joshua faced him, their match would enter the category of great and classic fights. Their 7-year-long rivalry is heating up and they might finally put an end to all the anticipation.

Both the Titans will fight on the same card on December 23 and that is the closest we have seen them against each other. While Wilder is set to face former WBC Heavyweight champion Joseph Parker. Anthony Joshua, who formerly held the Unified Heavyweight title, will meet his match in Otto Wallin. Recently in an interview on ‘The Last Stand’, Wilder went in on Joshua with some serious allegations.

In an interview with Brian Custer, Wilder claimed that AJ is a fighter not worthy of the fame and credit he gets. Wilder went on to say that Joshua is not a born champion. “I have said it many times before and I’ll say it again. There’s a difference between champions being born and champions being made, Brian. And Joshua was made, You understand me. He was a made fighter. They bought things, they gave him things,” stated the Bronze Bomber

Wilder alleged that Joshua fakes the sold-out arenas. He added, “Even with the certain things with the arena whole thing sold out this and all? Y’all didnt sold out nothing, Y’all cop tickets and y’all resold them. I know how the whole game works bro.” According to Wilder, Joshua and his team buy tickets and then resell them to show that they’ve sold out only to later sell them under the table. “And you cop all, you bought all your tickets. Now it seems like you just sold out the arena,” said the ‘Bronze Bomber’.

Having been in the business for a long time, Wilder claimed he knew the ins and outs of the whole deal. As the two get down in Riyadh, they must discuss with their team about a future fight against each other.

Former super middleweight champion Carl Froch believes Wilder will blast out Joshua in a single round in a possible fight. Wilder, in Froch’s opinion, would swiftly defeat AJ with a knockout in the first round. He has consistently maintained this belief and stands by it. “Wilder would come out in the first round looking for AJ, who is tentative at the best of times, but he is now afraid of his own shadow these days. I think Wilder catches him with a bomb that lands on his chin and he goes down and just does not get up,” said Froch, seeming sure that Wilder will flatten out Joshua.

However, Froch does think Joshua has the potential to prevail if he gives up his current approach and fights more cautiously. He believes that if Joshua does lose it’ll be the end of his career. The fight carries too much value for AJ to take it right now. The way he is, he does not want to get up once he goes down.

Things are starting to happen at the top of the heavyweight division as a huge card approaches on December 23 featuring Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder – just not against one another.

It plays out in Saudi Arabia and will see Wilder fight Joseph Parker, Daniel Dubois versus Jarrell Miller and Joshua versus Otto Wallin amongst several other big fights.

Lately, Deontay Wilder publicly called out Anthony Joshua for a potential fight. In his opinion, if Joshua faced him, their match would enter the category of great and classic fights. In this context, addressing the fans and their dreams, WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman presented the condition under which ‘AJ’ and Wilder could enter the ring.