Swedish heavyweight, Otto Wallin, gave Tyson Fury one of the most gruelling fights of his career.
Now, the 32-year-old southpaw has laid out his prediction for what many fans believe will prove to be one of Fury’s most comfortable nights in the ring, as he takes on boxing debutant, Francis Ngannou.
Wallin went toe-to-toe with ‘The Gypsy King’ back in 2019, just five months before the Brit put in a career-best performance and knocked out the previously undefeated Deontay Wilder to claim the WBC heavyweight world title.
Wallin almost upset Fury before that fight could happen, dishing out a nasty cut to the six-foot-nine behemoth that required forty-seven stitches. Wallin ultimately lost the contest by unanimous decision.
In an interview with Boxing Social, the Swedish southpaw predicted an easy night’s work for his former opponent, and said that the WBC should be stripping Fury of his title if his next outing is not against a recognised contender in the division.
“We know what he is doing, he is making a lot of money, a tonne of money probably, and it is an easy fight for him. So, in that sense, it makes a lot of sense. But, if you’re the heavyweight world champion, we would like you to defend against a boxer, of course.”
“We gave him a pass this time, he can fight Ngannou, but then he has got to defend the title. We want to see Usyk and Fury, if that doesn’t happen then he has got to defend it against somebody in the top ten in the WBC [rankings]. If he doesn’t, I think that he should be stripped, for sure.”
Fury and Ngannou will meet on October 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, headlining a card that is likely to draw huge PPV numbers and is available for purchase in the UK via TNT Sports Box Office and ESPN in the US.
Meanwhile, Wallin travels to Turkey to face former cruiserweight world champion, Murat Gassiev, on September 30.