Anthony Joshua easily handled Otto Wallin with a fifth-round TKO during “The Day of Reckoning” event in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.
Joshua won his third straight fight to improve to 27-3 in his career. Otto retired on his stool after the fifth round following a controlling performance by the former unified heavyweight champion.
After a slow start, Joshua began taking control of the fight, landing power punches, weakening Wallin. At one point, Wallin’s nose was bloodied, and it was only a matter of time before the bout was over.
Wallin made himself an easy target for Joshua with his lack of mobility in the ring. Despite his corner telling him to be more aggressive, Wallin stayed protective, but was unable to stop what was coming.
Joshua landed 53 punches and landed 35 out of his 80 power punches, according to CompuBox. Wallin didn’t threaten during the fight, and with each passing round Joshua took control and forced the Swede to retire.
Joshua said afterward he didn’t watch Deontay Wilder’s defeat earlier in the night. It had been reported there was an agreement that if both fighters won Saturday, they would meet in March 2024. Joshua didn’t throw cold water on the potential bout, but he liked the idea of being called a three-time heavyweight champion.
“That would be great,” Joshua said. “Every fight leads towards a final destination, so if I continue to be victorious it just happens naturally. And if you don’t you straight back down the ladder.”
Ending the year on a high with a third win isn’t something that Joshua is ready to celebrate. He has other goals in mind.
“We’ve got big ambitions than that, bigger ambitions than that,” he said. “I don’t celebrate when I win these fights. I celebrate when I win the championships.”
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Christine Lake is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. With an extensive background in sports journalism, he covers everything from major league championships to grassroots sports events. When she’s not on the field or at the stadium, you’ll find Christine coaching youth sports teams.
