(Riyadh) Former double world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, at his best, dominated the Swede Otto Wallin who gave up before the resumption of the sixth round, on the night of Saturday to Sunday in Saudi Arabia.
The 34-year-old Briton won the 27e victory (three career defeats) of his career, the third of the year 2023, by inflicting a technical knockout on his evening rival, stunned by the blows received and forced to retire.
Otto Wallin, 33, conceded the second defeat of his career on the evening of his 29e fight, four years later lost against Tyson Fury.
Former IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight champion, Joshua lost his belts against Oleksandr Usyk, better than him in 2021 and 2022. But “AJ” showed in Riyadh that he still had a say in the premier category, which he will try to reconquer in 2024.
Earlier in the evening, New Zealand boxer Joseph Parker won unanimously on points against the American Deontay Wilder, after a fight between former world champions which he largely dominated. .
At 31, the former WBO heavyweight champion won the 34e victory of his career by being the most enterprising during the twelve rounds which opposed him to Wilder, former holder of the WBC belt.
After a period of observation, the fight came alive in the fourth round when Parker placed his first attacks, before redoubled blows in the eighth against an opponent cornered in a corner of the ring, without solution.
Wilder was never really dangerous in his first fight in fourteen months. At 38 years old, the “Bronze Bomber”, a specialist in knockouts, failed to land his lightning right and left Riyadh with a third career defeat.
The first two, against Tyson Fury, were followed by a long interruption for the American, returning in 2022.
“I have a lot of respect for Wilder but we trained really hard for this,” commented Parker, who trains with Fury. “It’s huge and it’s the best opponent I’ve ever faced,” he said again into the broadcaster’s microphone.