A victory over Dillian Whyte in 10 days’ time will see Otto Wallin rubber stamp a rematch with Tyson Fury.
Wallin’s promoter Dmitriy Salita believes that the Swedish southpaw has caused Fury more problems than celebrated rivals Deontay Wilder and Wladimir Klitschko, and that a win over Whyte at the O2 Arena on October 30 will cement his man’s status as the No.2 heavyweight on the planet.
While WBA Super, IBF and WBO king Oleksandr Usyk and most others would disagree with that assessment, Wallin’s November 2019 clash with Fury did prove one of the Gypsy King’s toughest nights as a pro.
Fury suffered two bad cuts and, with the lacerations caused by punches, Wallin sailed close to an unlikely stoppage win before dropping a hard-fought unanimous decision.
But, with the WBC ruling that the winner of Whyte vs Wallin must fight its heavyweight champion Fury next, a rematch is in touching distance.
“Out all the great fighters that Tyson Fury beat the one fighter that gave him most trouble, caused most controversy with the cut, who landed more punches than Wladimir Klitschko and Deontay Wilder in their first fights combined is Otto Wallin,” Salita told Sky Sports.
“Otto had two impressive wins since that outing and a win over Whyte would make him the most eligible opponent for Fury and in my mind the second-best heavyweight in the world based on merit.
“Otto is still getting better. The fight with Whyte is a big test and a massive opportunity to get the rematch with the WBC heavyweight champion.”
Main image: Mikey Williams/Top Rank.