Former WBA Super-Middleweight Champion George Groves has predicted a statement knockout in the upcoming heavyweight showdown between Anthony Joshua and Otto Wallin.
‘AJ’ scored his first stoppage win in almost three years when he emphatically felled Robert Helenius back in August, putting an end to a trilogy of fights that went the distance, of which he won just one.
Meanwhile, Wallin has gone the full distance in his last five contests and has recorded just one win without the need of the judges since 2018, with a fifth-round TKO of Travis Kauffman the lone stoppage in his previous nine bouts.
When discussing Joshua-Wallin on the TNT Sports Boxing YouTube Channel, Groves said he expects Joshua to achieve back-to-back knockout wins for the first time since 2017 – Wladimir Klitschko and Carlos Takam.
“Joshua, I think is going to have to land something heavy on him and hurt him. He doesn’t want Wallin to try and nick rounds and run away with it, but Joshua is a big guy, when he steps into range and he’s switched on, he lands and he hurts people. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets rid of Wallin. If he does, that’s great, because it sets up whatever comes next.”
As Groves states, a win for Joshua will position him for a shot at Deontay Wilder providing ‘The Bronze Bomber’ is also successful against Joseph Parker on the same night, and thus potentially delivering fans ‘The Biggest Fight In Boxing’.
Alternatively, and particularly if Wilder is defeated, Joshua could opt to pursue the IBF World Title, which is expected to be vacated in the aftermath of Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk in February. If this were to happen, Joshua would likely be tasked with Filip Hrgovic, the mandatory challenger for the belt, in a clash to crown a new world champion.