Anthony Joshua made it look so easy against Otto Wallin, forcing a stoppage after five rounds of one-sided action.
Joshua was following Deontay Wilder’s surprise loss to Joseph Parker, meaning there won’t be a Joshua-Wilder fight in March as planned, but there are now many more options open.
Wallin’s corner appeared to take him out of the fight due to a possible broken nose.
Joshua (27-3, 24 KO) wasn’t exactly his “old self” here, but he was calculated, cunning and confident, and never let Wallin (some thought he was a live dog walking in) get into the fight.
And before you know it, that fight was simply over.
Wallin is now 26-2 (14 KOs).
“It’s not so much a throwback fight, but just another fight. Respect to Otón. Throughout the buildup, I told everyone that I needed to focus on the fight in front of me. Another day at the office,” Joshua said.
“Victory by any means. All I want to do is be victorious for as long as possible.”
Joshua said he had not seen Wilder’s fight but had heard he lost, and he refused to “tear down” Wilder for the loss, nor did he rule out the fight being still ongoing.
Joshua, 34, will now be ranked No. 2 in the IBF with the win over Wallin, meaning there is a strong chance he could face Filip Hrgovic next year for that vacant belt, which would become vacant after the fight between Fury and Usyk. That fight has a rematch clause, but Hrgovic is mandated to face the winner next, and the belt is expected to be vacated after the undisputed unification, which could last about 48 hours in the end.
Joshua could also be drawn into a rematch with Joseph Parker, whose victory over Wilder now makes him incredibly marketable. Joshua beat Parker in 2018, but Parker may actually be a better fighter now than he was then, and AJ isn’t the same guy he was five years ago either, even if he looked good here. He is diferent.
And don’t completely rule out a trilogy fight with Andy Ruiz Jr, who doesn’t really exist as an active wrestler at the moment but was part of DAZN’s broadcast team for the show.
