RIYADH, Dec. 24 – Anthony Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs) achieved his third victory of the year with a stoppage victory over Otto Wallin (26-2, 14 KO, 1 NC). Wallin did not leave his corner to continue fighting in the sixth.
The fight headlined a night of fights billed as “Doomsday” in it Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This was part of the Riyadh Season, a state-funded sports and entertainment festival in the country. It was broadcast live as a PPV worldwide on DAZN. Viewers in the UK and Ireland can also purchase the card from the TNT Sports Box Office. In the United States, ESPN+ also broadcast the event as a PPV.
Big Fight Weekend has been present all week and brings you all the previews, analysis and final recaps. Below is our final recap of a fight in which AJ emerged victorious.
Anthony Joshua defeats Otto Wallin
Total domination on ‘Judgment Day’
The first round saw quite a bit of groping from both of them. Wallin stayed by the ropes most of the time as Joshua inched towards him. In the second, AJ found success with the straight right and the action moved primarily toward the center of the ring.
Joshua again pressed Wallin to the edge of the ring in the third round. Although it wasn’t a fight, the former heavyweight champion consistently landed to the head and body, landing more overall than his opponent.
Joshua mixed things up in this fight and never allowed his opponent to calm down. As the rounds progressed, he seemed to get more and more confident. In the fifth round, Joshua continued to apply pressure on Wallin, stunning him and causing visible damage to his nose.
After the fifth, Wallin’s corner did not allow him to leave his corner to continue fighting in the sixth, giving AJ the victory by stoppage.
Post-fight quotes
In the post-fight interview, Joshua spoke about his opponent: “I respect Otto.” He also said, “I know how important this fight was to me.”
Joshua was asked how he would feel if he became a three-time heavyweight champion: “That would be great.”
Eddie Hearn could not hide his joy after the fight: “He’s back. “Ben Davison and the team told me he was back.”
Speaking about what comes next, Hearn said: “It will be Hrgović against AJ for the (IBF) world title.”
See our summary of the first four fights on the card from “Day of Reckoning,” which included a heavyweight upset. The co-main event also saw Joseph Parker defeats Deontay Wilder by unanimous decision.
