Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin - December 23, 2023

[Thomastearns]

Day of Reckoning - Running Order:

1) Frank Sanchez vs. Junior Fa
2) Filip Hrgovic vs. Mark De Mori
3) Jai Opetaia vs. Ellis Zorro

4) Arslanbek Makhmudov vs. Agit Kabayel
5) Dmitry Bivol vs. Lyndon Arthur
6) Daniel Dubois vs. Jarrell Miller

7) Deontay Wilder vs. Joseph Parker
8) Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin

Here are the latest betting odds:

Anthony Joshua 4:1 Otto Wallin (heavyweight)
Deontay Wilder 7:1 Joseph Parker (heavyweight)
Daniel Dubois 3:1 Jarrell Miller (heavyweight)
Dmitry Bivol 20:1 Lyndon Arthur (light heavyweight)
Jai Opetaia 25:1 Ellis Zorro (cruiserweight)
Arslanbek Makhmudov 10:1 Agit Kabayel (heavyweight)
Frank Sanchez 20:1 Junior Fa (heavyweight)
Filip Hrgovic 50:1 Mark De Mori (heavyweight)

It's difficult to argue with those odds, although I still expect Parker v Wilder to be a close one.

Joseph Parker is not the kind of fighter you can expect to go and knock out in a couple of rounds.

Deontay Wilder is also no stranger to getting buzzed early and is not known for his boxing skills.

7:1 seems harsh.

Mark De Mori is up against the 2nd best technician of the show and so Hrgovic must be the safest bet of the night.

Lyndon Arthur is up again one of boxing's very best technicians in Bivol, but he won't care about any of that. I'm guessing he'll make it messy and rough for as long as he can still stand up.

I'm not sure how the unbeaten Kabayel (23-0) feels about being 10-1 against the unbeaten Makhmudov (19-0).

Once again, we should give Joshua full credit for putting his rep on the line again. No current HW, not until Usyk (hopefully) meets Fury, has anything like his resume.

The tricky southpaw Otto Wallin almost derailed Fury a few years back and naturally enough none of the other big boys seemed to be too keen to face him since. His recent win against Gassiev was also asurprise, so AJ knows this is serious.

On the other hand, every Anthony Joshua fight is serious, and has been serious for years and years.


Let's not forget that Wallin, like most of the underdogs here, knows full well that this is the greatest chance of his life.

Even better, the venue (Boulevard Hall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) will be about as a level playing field as you can ever expect in boxing.

Asist of the boxers interviewed have said, we boxing fans should all be a little grateful to the man whose ambitions made all of this possible.

Turki bin Abdel Muhsin Al-Alshaikh is the kind of sports minister that we could all do with.

[Sammy Scaff]

Day of Reckoning - Running Order:

1) Frank Sanchez vs. Junior Fa
2) Filip Hrgovic vs. Mark De Mori
3) Jai Opetaia vs. Ellis Zorro

4) Arslanbek Makhmudov vs. Agit Kabayel
5) Dmitry Bivol vs. Lyndon Arthur
6) Daniel Dubois vs. Jarrell Miller

7) Deontay Wilder vs. Joseph Parker
8) Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin

Here are the latest betting odds:

Anthony Joshua 4:1 Otto Wallin (heavyweight)
Deontay Wilder 7:1 Joseph Parker (heavyweight)
Daniel Dubois 3:1 Jarrell Miller (heavyweight)
Dmitry Bivol 20:1 Lyndon Arthur (light heavyweight)
Jai Opetaia 25:1 Ellis Zorro (cruiserweight)
Arslanbek Makhmudov 10:1 Agit Kabayel (heavyweight)
Frank Sanchez 20:1 Junior Fa (heavyweight)
Filip Hrgovic 50:1 Mark De Mori (heavyweight)

It's difficult to argue with those odds, although I still expect Parker v Wilder to be a close one.

Joseph Parker is not the kind of fighter you can expect to go and knock out in a couple of rounds.

Deontay Wilder is also no stranger to getting buzzed early and is not known for his boxing skills.

7:1 seems harsh.

Mark De Mori is up against the 2nd best technician of the show and so Hrgovic must be the safest bet of the night.

Lyndon Arthur is up again one of boxing's very best technicians in Bivol, but he won't care about any of that. I'm guessing he'll make it messy and rough for as long as he can still stand up.

I'm not sure how the unbeaten Kabayel (23-0) feels about being 10-1 against the unbeaten Makhmudov (19-0).

Once again, we should give Joshua full credit for putting his rep on the line again. No current HW, not until Usyk (hopefully) meets Fury, has anything like his resume.

The tricky southpaw Otto Wallin almost derailed Fury a few years back and naturally enough none of the other big boys seemed to be too keen to face him since. His recent win against Gassiev was also asurprise, so AJ knows this is serious.

On the other hand, every Anthony Joshua fight is serious, and has been serious for years and years.


Let's not forget that Wallin, like most of the underdogs here, knows full well that this is the greatest chance of his life.

Even better, the venue (Boulevard Hall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) will be about as a level playing field as you can ever expect in boxing.

Asist of the boxers interviewed have said, we boxing fans should all be a little grateful to the man whose ambitions made all of this possible.

Turki bin Abdel Muhsin Al-Alshaikh is the kind of sports minister that we could all do with.

This Turki voted for (nearly)Christmas

[margaret thatcher]

i think kabayel is defo worth a bet at those odds. i love mak but struggling with carlos takam is his best win and that shouldnt make him 10-1 fave.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Thomastearns]

i think kabayel is defo worth a bet at those odds. i love mak but struggling with carlos takam is his best win and that shouldnt make him 10-1 fave.

Hrgovic's 50 - 1 odds against De Mori seem rather mean but it's HW boxing, and things are often closer than they look.

Unfortunately, for those who like to bet, being close is not enough, as we saw with Fury v Ngannou.

My nephew had money on that being a draw (he predicted Fury underestimating Ngannou) and as you can imagine, he was pretty upset with the split decision result. Especially since a draw would have given him £3000.

As usual, despite the closeness of the result, the bookies were right.

They usually are.

I don't bet, but if I did, I'd stick £20 on Parker.

[SportsRatings]

Day of Reckoning - Running Order:

1) Frank Sanchez vs. Junior Fa
2) Filip Hrgovic vs. Mark De Mori
3) Jai Opetaia vs. Ellis Zorro

4) Arslanbek Makhmudov vs. Agit Kabayel
5) Dmitry Bivol vs. Lyndon Arthur
6) Daniel Dubois vs. Jarrell Miller

7) Deontay Wilder vs. Joseph Parker
8) Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin

Given that, then the approximate U.S. ring walk times might be:

1) Frank Sanchez vs. Junior Fa - 11:05am (Eastern)
2) Filip Hrgovic vs. Mark De Mori - 12:05pm
3) Jai Opetaia vs. Ellis Zorro - 1:05pm

4) Arslanbek Makhmudov vs. Agit Kabayel - 2:10pm
5) Dmitry Bivol vs. Lyndon Arthur - 3:15pm
6) Daniel Dubois vs. Jarrell Miller - 4:20pm

7) Deontay Wilder vs. Joseph Parker - 5:30pm
8) Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin - 6:45pm

[SportsRatings]

i think kabayel is defo worth a bet at those odds. i love mak but struggling with carlos takam is his best win and that shouldnt make him 10-1 fave.

Kabayel is definitely worth a shot at 10-1 but those are Mak's odds, Kabayel's are about 6-1, still a good return and worth it I think. I would never put $1000 on Mak to clear $100! I think Kabayel as about a 1 in 3 chance of winning, so I'd still be figuring to lose money but that's how odds work taking the underdog

[margaret thatcher]

i saw kab at 8-1 on skybet not long ago, maybe he's been bet down

[margaret thatcher]

still 8/1, i agree 1 in 3 is about how i'd have his chances

[ironbeard]

So little buildup for this very special card. Questions shall be addressed. AJ and Wilder in action on the same alone would be a big card. Difficult to pay attention for many on this particular week. Focus is on finishing calendar jobs and prepping for a solid 9 days of holiday.

[funso banjo baby]

Big night.

Shame about demori but that's the fault of team Hrgovic who clearly have little faith in his ability to safely beat anyone with a pulse.

[Perkin Warbeck]

Weights for Day of Reckoning:

Anthony Joshua 251 vs Otto Wallin 238.6
Deontay Wilder 213 vs Joseph Parker 245.3
Daniel Dubois 239 vs Jarrell Miller 333
Dmitry Bivol 174.6 vs Lyndon Arthur 174.2
Arslanbek Makhmudov 262 vs Agit Kabayel 241.3
Jai Opetaia 198.4 vs Ellis Zorro 197.4
Filip Hrgovic 246 vs Mark De Mori 242.6
Frank Sanchez 238 vs Junior Fa 278.9

Big night.

Shame about demori but that's the fault of team Hrgovic who clearly have little faith in his ability to safely beat anyone with a pulse.

They wanted Bakole, but he turned it down.

Hrgovic's team has faith in him, but he's been avoided.

[SportsRatings]

Weights for Day of Reckoning:

Anthony Joshua 251 vs Otto Wallin 238.6
Deontay Wilder 213 vs Joseph Parker 245.3
Daniel Dubois 239 vs Jarrell Miller 333
Dmitry Bivol 174.6 vs Lyndon Arthur 174.2
Arslanbek Makhmudov 262 vs Agit Kabayel 241.3
Jai Opetaia 198.4 vs Ellis Zorro 197.4
Filip Hrgovic 246 vs Mark De Mori 242.6
Frank Sanchez 238 vs Junior Fa 278.9

Wow Miller outweighs Dubois by 100 lbs

Wilder could have made the Cruiser limit without much trouble

[gregregegg]

Wilder is very light again, I feel that’s when he is most dangerous.

Miller a fat pudendum again, his face is going to great absolutely peppered. He is hard to miss and with DDDs good power and speed I have this as a horrific beating.

Hrg still to heavy but at least he bothered getting in some shape, I would of stayed on the couch this camp…

Sanchez too heavy as well, doubt it matters but he is following the hrg protocol of getting too heavy and losing what makes you great.

[margaret thatcher]

dubois isnt a quick fighter at all, he's a lumbering, hard hitting slugger. joe joyce jabbed and moved better than he did

[bogan whisperer]

So little buildup for this very special card. Questions shall be addressed. AJ and Wilder in action on the same alone would be a big card. Difficult to pay attention for many on this particular week. Focus is on finishing calendar jobs and prepping for a solid 9 days of holiday.

Deep card with plenty of talent on it but pick 'em fights are few and far between. Hope there are some cracking fights but If it plays out the way I expect it will people will be wondering afterward what all the fuss was about.

[joshj909]

So little buildup for this very special card. Questions shall be addressed. AJ and Wilder in action on the same alone would be a big card. Difficult to pay attention for many on this particular week. Focus is on finishing calendar jobs and prepping for a solid 9 days of holiday.

Deep card with plenty of talent on it but pick 'em fights are few and far between. Hope there are some cracking fights but If it plays out the way I expect it will people will be wondering afterward what all the fuss was about.

One or two upsets in any of the fights will be good enough for me

[KiwiRider]

Junior Fa is back to the weight he was fighting domestically.
I saw him fighting at 279 and there was real pop in his shots, then he went right down to 250, and lost some power.
Coming in at 279 again, but with more defined muscle could be interesting.

[The Gratest]

Just one more day until Eddie's empty words come true

[SportsRatings]

dubois isnt a quick fighter at all, he's a lumbering, hard hitting slugger. joe joyce jabbed and moved better than he did

But a 333 pound Miller might make Dubois look quick!

Miller has a great chin though. His fight against Lucas Browne was a VERY high work rate banger, he took a ton of heavy shots and shrugged them off. That's the only fight I've watched with the modern, 300+ lb Miller, he didn't look nimble but for his size his hands were still fast. Very easy to hit though. Should be an interesting fight with Dubois, who I would clearly favor if he had any heart, I'm just afraid he might quit if the going gets tough. Hopefully not.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

Fight Night!!

[jamesmcdonnell]

dubois isnt a quick fighter at all, he's a lumbering, hard hitting slugger. joe joyce jabbed and moved better than he did

But a 333 pound Miller might make Dubois look quick!

Miller has a great chin though. His fight against Lucas Browne was a VERY high work rate banger, he took a ton of heavy shots and shrugged them off. That's the only fight I've watched with the modern, 300+ lb Miller, he didn't look nimble but for his size his hands were still fast. Very easy to hit though. Should be an interesting fight with Dubois, who I would clearly favor if he had any heart, I'm just afraid he might quit if the going gets tough. Hopefully not.

I think dubois best chance is to hurt him early and often, try and make Miller negative. Dubois can still bang, and he's in better shape than Miller. Beat the fight out of him early.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

New York - East Coast times.

SANCHEZ v FA - 11.15am
HRGOVIC v DI MORI - 12.15pm
OPETAIA v ZORRO - 1.25pm
MAKHMUDOV v KABAYEL - 2.25pm
BIVOL v ARTHUR - 3.30pm
DUBOIS v MILLER - 4.30pm
WILDER v PARKER - 5.35pm
JOSHUA v WALLIN - 6.45pm

LA (-3 hours).