Anthony Joshua talks up ‘tough guy’ Otto Wallin as he brands Deontay Wilder ‘bronze, not gold’

Anthony Joshua has talked up “tough guy” Otto Wallin ahead of their fight on December 23, while he branded Deontay Wilder – who could potentially lie in wait in 2024 – “bronze, not gold”.

Joshua will meet Wallin on the ‘Day of Reckoning’ card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, live on TNT Sports Box Office, with Wilder co-headlining against Joseph Parker.

It is widely anticipated that former world champions Joshua and Wilder will go head-to-head in 2024 should they win their respective bouts – potentially on the same night Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk fight to unify the heavyweight division on February 17.

Although Wallin does not have the pull of Fury and Wilder, Joshua insists the Swede, who has lost just once in his professional career, is no mug.

“Wallin’s a tough guy. He’s never been stopped. Never been hurt. Durable. So he’s going to be game,” Joshua told TNT Sports’ Laura Woods.

“I feel a lot of people doubt how good I am, but I’m going to show them how good I am. I can’t wait, I’m looking forward to it.”

Wallin’s only defeat came against Fury in Las Vegas in 2019, with the WBC champion requiring 47 stitches to sew up a damaged eye after the fight.

Meanwhile, Joshua is slowly restoring his reputation after consecutive defeats against Usyk in 2021 and 2022. He was also stunned by Andy Ruiz in Vegas when WBA, IBF and WBO champion before edging a rematch with the Mexican in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.

Asked what excites him about the Wallin fight, Joshua said: “The shots I will be able to land. Because he’s a southpaw, that gives me certain opportunities.

“I’ve been in there with Usyk twice, I’ve shared the ring with him for 24 rounds, a really talented fighter. Obviously it’s a loss on the record but for me I took it as a learning curve and I’ll come back stronger.”

Joshua hopes the fight will be a springboard to a hotly-anticipated showdown with Wilder in “mid 2024”, while he also hinted at a possible all-British bout with Fury.

Asked to describe Wilder in one word, he said: “Bronze. Not gold. Not silver. ‘You’re not gold’.”

The ‘Day of Reckoning’ format could pave the way for a new era of heavyweight boxing, with Joshua v Wallin and Wilder v Parker potentially acting as semi-finals.

“In the time I’ve watched boxing, I’ve never seen something like this happen,” added Joshua.

“There was all us boxers sitting on a table taking a picture, it felt like Premier League or Champions League – like a super league where we all come together. It does feel big.”

One major gripe for fans of the heavyweight division is how often big fights fail to materialise, but Joshua hopes the mooted semi-final and final format could see the sport’s biggest names collide more often.

“It’s like a tiered system – let’s say 1 [ranked] versus 4, 2 versus 3. And then the winners fight each other, so sooner or later everyone will fight each other,” he said.

It’s reported that a coin flip will decide who headlines the night between Wilder and Joshua.

On Saturday 23 December, fight fans will witness boxing’s greatest champions, head-to-head in what promises to be an action-filled night of entertainment, as part of Riyadh Season. In a UK broadcast first “Day of Reckoning” will be available live on both DAZN and TNT Sports Box Office for fans to watch in the UK and Ireland.

“Day of Reckoning” costs £19.99 in the UK and can be watched through DAZN or TNT Sports Box Office and is available via the DAZN app on Smart TVs, streaming sticks, tablets, laptops and game consoles, Virgin Media TV, Sky and EE TV.

DAZN customers can purchase the fight on www.DAZN.com or via the DAZN app, accessed on their Smart TVs, streaming sticks, laptop, tablets, mobiles and games consoles.

Virgin Media TV customers in the UK: customers with a TiVo and/or V6 set-top-box should visit the On-Demand section and choose Live Events; customers with a Virgin TV 360 and/or Stream set-top-box should go to the Pay Per View Events rail.

EE TV customers can go to channel 495 and pay using their remote control.