Founder and CEO of Top Rank Promotions Bob Arum has been in the boxing game for almost sixty years, and the 92-year-old boxing veteran has predicted that this weekend’s mammoth card in Saudi Arabia will not go to plan.
Both Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder feature after once again being linked to a fight with one another, fighting Otto Wallin and Joseph Parker respectively.
Should they both win, fans will be expecting an announcement in the aftermath that will finally confirm a showdown between the two former champions, who did not meet in the ring when they could have battled it out for the undisputed title.
However, in an interview with Fight Hub, Arum declared that Joshua could have bitten off more than he can chew by taking on Wallin, who gave Tyson Fury a run for his money back in 2019 and dealt ‘The Gypsy King’ with a cut that required almost fifty stitches, in a gruelling, bloodied brawl.
“People are looking ahead to a Joshua-Wilder fight because it’s been talked about for so long, but let me tell you, I believe that Joshua has his work cut out for him with Otto Wallin. I think that Otto Wallin is going to beat him. I think that Otto Wallin is a really underrated fighter, I think that he has a lot of skills and I like him to win, over Joshua.
“I think that Wilder will be OK with Joseph Parker, who is a good fighter but doesn’t have the firepower to match Wilder, but I think Wallin could upset the apple cart, I really do believe that.”
The ‘Day of Reckoning’ card will go ahead on Saturday night in Riyadh and is available to watch live on DAZN PPV around the globe.