Anthony Joshua v Otto Wallin: Weight, height, reach, trainer & professional boxing records

We analyse the credentials and statistics of two-time heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua and Otto Wallin as the pair get set to headline the mammoth Day of Reckoning fight card in Saudi Arabia.

On December 23, in Riyadh, the heavyweight division will become the epicentre of boxing.

Six fights from an eight-bout card features 12 men from the sport’s most famous weight class looking to make the most of their opportunity on an event billed as ‘Day of Reckoning’.

Anthony Joshua and Otto Wallin is one of the standout fights from the card where the consequences of victory and defeat for Joshua are miles apart. 

With a super-fight against Deontay Wilder mooted for 2024, Joshua will be aware what is expected of him when he faces his Swedish opponent.

A fourth defeat not only turns the Wilder fight into dust but sticks Joshua’s career in the desert and in danger of drying up.

Otto Wallin has craved another big fight opportunity ever since losing to Tyson Fury in 2019 and is a live underdog particularly against a boxer who has struggled to impress in recent fights. 

But who wins? Let’s look at the Tale of the Tape...
 

Anthony Joshua v Otto Wallin
Tale of the Tape

	Anthony Joshua	Otto Wallin
Odds:	2/7	11/4
Age:	34	33
Nickname:	'AJ'	'All In'
Height:	6ft 6ins	6ft 5.5ins
Reach:	82ins	78ins
Weight:	Heavyweight	Heavyweight
Trainer:	Derrick James / Ben Davison	Joey Gamache
Record:	26-3 (23 KO's)	26-1 (14 KO's)
Last Fight:	Won - (KO) v Robert Helenius (Aug 2023)	Won - (SD) v Murat Gassiev (September 2023)

Anthony Joshua
In Profile

One disastrous defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr has caused long-lasting damage to the career of Anthony Joshua.

In June 2019, the Brit planned to conquer America by beginning at the historic Madison Square Garden against Ruiz who replaced Jarrell Miller after the American failed a drugs test. 

What followed was the stuff of nightmares for Joshua who had hoped to become one of the greatest heavyweights of all-time.

Four wins and two losses have followed since then. But something has departed from his strengths which made him the best heavyweight in the world at one point. A fragility has found its way into his character and fighting style which has never been the same since the madness in MSG. 

Joshua has sought advice from all around the world, changed trainers and displayed a prickly personality before, during and after fights.

But whatever he is seeking his career will never be what it should have been without the names of Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury on there. 

Yet another path to those mammoth dustups begins in the Middle East on December 23. Otto Wallin is in the way and will not be easily removed. 

What will we see from Joshua? Cautiousness, destruction, or negativity? Will the real Anthony Joshua please stand up!

Strengths:	Weaknesses:
Punch-power	Stuck in between styles
Hand speed	Footwork
Jab	Mentally fragile
Ruthless finisher	Too much bulk

Otto Wallin
In Profile

Otto Wallin can change his life on December 23.

Beating Anthony Joshua will catapult him into world title contention and may even face the winner of Deontay Wilder and Jospeh Parker.

The Swede’s win over former cruiserweight champion Murat Gassiev in September didn’t turn heads but was a notable victory in his career. 

For four years Wallin has been remembered for his efforts against Tyson Fury; but beating Gassiev, and landing a fight against Joshua, will go a long way to removing that shadow.

Wallin isn’t one to be intimidated or overawed by opponent or occasion, but must lay a marker against Joshua early in the fight. His accurate southpaw backhand needs to get Joshua’s attention and make him wary of launching his own attacks. 

A knockout victory for Wallin is unlikely, but very believable - especially if he can frustrate and pick off Joshua. But realistically, his best hope is that the scorecards work in his favour.

Wallin has been an avoided fighter since the loss to Fury, and is a paid-up member of the ‘Who Needs Him’ club. 

Beating Joshua will change all of that!

Strengths:	Weaknesses:
Strong backhand	Lack of power
Jab	Can be bullied
Judges distance well	Punch output
Counter-punching	Spends too long on the ropes

All odds displayed within this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to fluctuation.