Anthony Joshua must beat Otto Wallin if he ‘wants to be competing with the very top guys’ – Carl Frampton

Carl Frampton says Anthony Joshua cannot afford to lose his fight against Otto Wallin on a card he has described as an early Christmas gift for boxing fans.

Joshua will share the bill with fellow heavyweight Deontay Wilder on a bumper card in Saudi Arabia on December 23.

The pair, who have previously been in negotiations to face each other, will tackle Wallin and Joseph Parker respectively, with victory for both potentially paving the way for a hotly anticipated contest in 2024.

Former world champion Daniel Dubois and current light heavyweight belt holders Lyndon Arthur (IBO) and Dmitry Bivol (WBA), are also part of a huge night for the sport.

“It’s unbelievable,” Frampton told TNT Sport. “What a present for us all.”

Joshua’s clash with Wallin marks his return to the ring for the first time since his knockout win over Robert Helenius in London in August.

Now aged 34, he has not held any belts since losing two fights to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and 2022.

Wallin has won six successive fights since giving Tyson Fury a run for his money in Las Vegas in 2019, his only defeat in 28 contests.

Frampton accepts it is a “tough fight” for Joshua, but one that he cannot afford to lose.

“This is massive,” he continued. “Wallin is a very good fighter. He gave Fury a bit of a scare and one of the reasons why you know he’s a tough fight, is because none of the other heavyweights want to mention him.

“It’s probably a fight that Joshua thinks he should be winning if he wants to be able to compete with people like Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury, or Usyk again at some point.

“Although it’s far from an easy fight, it’s still a fight that AJ should win if he wants to be competing with the very, very top guys.”

Wilder tackles another former heavyweight world champion in the form of Parker, beaten by Joshua back in 2018.

The New Zealander has only suffered three defeats during a 36-fight career, with that trio of losses all coming to British opponents.

Wilder, meanwhile, was beaten twice by Fury in 2020 and 2021, but has had just one contest since then, when he knocked out Helenius in under three minutes in October of last year.

“Wilder has been really inactive after the Fury defeats,” added Frampton. “After that, he’s only had one competitive round of boxing, and it wasn’t a full round. Inactivity could be an issue for him.

“Joe Parker, I feel, is probably right now a better fighter than he was when he was world champion. The job that Andy Lee’s done with him is really good. You can see Andy’s influence, with how he used to fight carrying over into Joe’s style a little bit.

“I think it’s a good thing. Joe’s a lot more aggressive now. It’s a fight that most people think Deontay Wilder will win or should be winning, but it’s not an easy one.”

Frampton also said the “whole world” will be supporting Dubois as he takes on Jarrell Miller, who was due to fight Joshua in 2019, only for the bout to get pulled because of a failed drugs test.

The American has won all three of his contests since returning from suspension, which highlights just how tough an opponent he will be for the ex-WBA (regular) heavyweight champion, who is fighting for the first time since being beaten by Usyk in August.

“It’s a fight and it’s a hard fight to call,” Frampton said. “I imagine the whole world are backing Daniel Dubois and wanting him to win because of what’s gone on with Jarrell Miller, apart from maybe Jarrell’s family.

“He’s a good fighter and he’s a bit of a dog. He’s tough. One of the question marks hanging over Daniel’s head is his toughness and his mental fortitude and can he get through a bit of adversity. Miller will test it. We’re going to learn a lot about both guys.”