A big night of boxing will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on December 23, headlined by British former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury’s former rival, Swede Otto Wallin. Joshua’s choice of opponent is respectable. A strange lefty who will have to work hard again. Is there any chance of getting upset?

Joshua is still coming back from Usyk and looking for himself. And Wallin just defeated Russian Gassiev

Anthony Joshua’s comeback is a surprising and long story. The victory over Andy Ruiz in the rematch looked very, very confident in boxing, but it raised questions in everyone’s mind. They looked quite strange in style: Why did this tough guy box his opponent and not beat him by force? However, this situation did not please the British.

After this confrontation, Anthony met his ideal opponent, Kubrat Pulev. Always dangerous, supremely confident but too outspoken, the Bulgarian boxer looked like someone who would fall for Joshua in epic fashion.

And so it happened. Kubrat turned, responded, twisted his nose. Then he started jumping so fast that it was time to stop it.

But Joshua was never quite himself. In the first bout against Usik, Anthony also wanted to prove that he could box. Although the fight was excellent, it was not possible to show the result. The Briton was interesting and intelligent. Not enough to win. In the rematch, Joshua said he would act like a real fighter. In fact, the fight was better and the result was close. However, they did not win again.

The return also raised questions. Anthony eventually declared that studying boxing science was not for him and that he wanted to defeat his opponents. But they couldn’t knock down Jermaine Franklin. Joshua outpointed him, but the fight got a bit messy and the teams then nearly brawled right after the bell.

It’s like facing Robert Helenius. Joshua moves forward smoothly, constantly looking for a way to attack with his right hand. He found him, knocked out his opponent, went to the gym, drank the drinks Conor McGregor gave him. Great show. Maybe it was supposed to look epic, but actually everything was surprising. It’s as if Anthony still doesn’t understand what his role is in this amazing sport.

Otto Wallin, meanwhile, just won after losing to Tyson Fury in 2019, and his supporters talked about how much he deserved a title, or at least a high-profile shot. Let’s see who the Swede will beat during this time. Trevize Kauffman, Dominic Breazeale, Kamil Sokolovsky, Rydell Booker, Helaman Olguin and Murat Gassiev. There are definitely enough famous names. However, behind all this, there are also suitable opponents for Wallin. And the right tactics from the organizer.

They skillfully capitalized on Fury’s poor fight against Wallin. It was actually made from a severed head, and more than once or twice Otto tried to reach his opponent not with a blow, but with an open glove. But everyone remembered that Fury’s eyebrow was severely broken.

But that certainly doesn’t make Wallin a worse opponent for Joshua than everyone thinks. It looks like Otto’s approximate level is measured correctly. The only question is whether everyone can show exactly what they are talking about.

It is generally accepted that a boxer’s current level is the level he showed in the last fight. Based on this, Anthony Joshua is still searching. It got worse. Standing, striking. He tries to dominate, put pressure with his weight and punch his opponent with strong blows. That was enough for now.

Wallin had fun beating Gassiev. He was constantly on the move, throwing punches. Not like Usik, of course. In general, Otto is not Alexander. It’s bigger and not mobile. But he still looked good. It even shocked a Russian who signed up to represent Armenia.

And it’s these guys that Anthony always has a hard time boxing with. On the other hand, Joshua has a new trainer for this fight: Ben Davison. It was this man who prepared Fury for the fight with Wallin. Only then did Tyson playfully box and Anthony will destroy:

“Otto must complete his mission to destroy Wallin,” says Anthony.

Who is the favorite?

Obviously Anthony Joshua. You can bet on the Englishman for 1.28. Against the Swedish opponent – 3.75.

There are no questions about coefficients. There are questions about Joshua’s plans. How he plans to box and what the fight against Wallin will turn into. Otto’s mission is clear. He will move, fight dirty in the clinch, and try to knock out his opponent. If possible, hit with your left and try to finish. The plan is clear enough and Wallin can do it.

So what does Joshua have in mind? As in previous fights, gradually apply pressure, work with powerful blows and look for a way out for a knockout? It seems so. Is this a good plan? It should actually work. Wallin is not reinforced concrete and definitely provides passage. The question is: Will Anthony have the mobility to pin down his opponent and be able to adjust during the fight if things go wrong?

Lately the Briton has been very focused on the fact that he wants to do exactly that and doesn’t want any other way. He wants to be that big and strong heavyweight who returns blow after blow. At the same time, having boxed in different styles before and being able to do completely different things.

So the question arises: how will Joshua fare? Because Davison teaches differently. It teaches you to be fast and technical, to break your opponent and only then look for a knockout. Would Anthony want to play with a smaller left wing again?

This is the main intrigue of the confrontation. Because that decision, and how flexible Anthony can be, will determine his ability to adapt to his opponent’s peculiar style. Because relying solely on striking against such a mobile opponent is a controversial decision.

But remember the heavyweight rule that one strike decides everything. In this pair, everything can be solved in both directions.

1.28 – 3.75 place bet money Zrobiti bet