Swedish heavyweight contender Otto Wallin said Anthony Joshua was ‘past his peak’ before their fight, but was taught a quick lesson when the Brit turned up as good as he has looked in some time.
Joshua dominated from the opening bell, picking his shots with tremendous precision and measured aggression, forcing Wallin to retire on his stool with blood around his nose following the fifth-round. It was ‘AJ’s a first back-to-back knockout win since 2017.
In an interview with Boxing News, Wallin cleared up news of his injury and showed support for his trainer, Joey Gamache, who made the decision to pull him out of the contest.
“I have a fracture on my nose, it’s not completely broken, but it’s fractured.”
“I noticed that I was bleeding but when you are in the fight you have so much adrenaline and it was early in the fight. I noticed that it was uncomfortable but I don’t think it made a big difference.”
“I didn’t disagree with him [when he chose to pull me out], Joey [Gamache] told me that he was going to stop it and I didn’t say anything. Joey has been with me for ten years, he has seen me in training and almost all of my fights and he has never pulled me out of anything, so I trust Joey, he is always looking out for me and I feel very happy that I have a trainer who puts my health first. There is a life after boxing, so I am very appreciative that he is looking out for me.”
Joshua’s win seems to have lined him up for a fight with Filip Hrgovic and a possible IBF Vacant Title as he seeks to become just the fifth three-time heavyweight champion of all-time.
Wallin, at 33 and with losses to just Joshua and Tyson Fury, will take stock and come back this year.