By Victor Kanayo
It was a twist of results on a Night of Reckoning as British-Nigerian fighter Anthony Joshua heaped a fifth round defeat on Swede Otto Wallin in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
However, victory eluded Deontay Wilder who lost to Joseph Parker in a unanimous decision.
Joshua’s showdown with Wallin came on the same card as Wilder vs Parker, with the expectation being that AJ and ‘The Bronze Bomber’ would fight next.
Now, the varrying outcome of both fights has scuppered plans for the long-awaited heavyweight showdown between Joshua and Wilder.
Ahead Of Usyk, Tyson Showdown
With Oleksandr Usyk v Tyson Fury on February 17, 2023 in Saudi Arabia, a potential rematch between that pair could see the IBF title become vacant.
A belt Joshua and Hrgovic could contest.
Another AJ’s Moment of Famous Win
Joshua, with Tyson Fury’s former trainer Ben Davison in his corner, came out positively from the opening bell, putting immediate pressure on Wallin and letting his right hand go.
Through a few rounds, Joshua had bloodied the nose of Wallin, but he was not putting any combinations together, instead opting to pot-shot his opponent.
But, in round five this all changed, as Joshua landed a thunderous right hand-left hook combination that sent Wallin stumbling back against the ropes.
Joshua followed up with a brutal barrage of punches, but the swede survived and made it back to his corner at the end of the round.
It is now three straight wins for Joshua since his back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk.
