JOSHUA DEFEATS SWEDE WALLIN VIA KNOCKOUT, RETURNING TO PEAK FORM; PARKER DEFEATS WILDER

At Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena early on Sunday, Otto Wallin was defeated by British heavyweight Anthony Joshua, who turned back the clock. The fight was stopped by Wallin’s team during the interval between the fifth and sixth rounds.

Joshua got right to work on the southpaw Swede, throwing jabs and straight right hands while former UFC champion Conor McGregor and football player Cristiano Ronaldo watched from ringside.

The two-time unified heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua, controlled the battle from the middle of the ring, making Wallin struggle to land any blows outside.

In the fifth, Joshua—who had defeated Wallin twice on points as an amateur—hurled powerful hooks with both hands that left the Swede wobbly as he made his way back to his corner. Wallin never came out again after his team informed the referee that he was unable to continue.

The 34-year-old Joshua, who now has a record of 27 wins and 3 loses, expressed his satisfaction with the outcome but he would not say that he was his former self.

“I hold Otto in high regard. After the fight, Joshua stated in the ring, “I told everyone I needed to focus on the man in front of me because I respect what he’s bringing to the table throughout the whole build-up.”

Not so much a fight from the past. Simply another workday at the workplace.

After being defeated by Tyson Fury in September 2019, Wallin’s stoppage was only his second loss in his professional career.

In the co-main event, American heavyweight fighter Deontay Wilder was defeated by New Zealand heavyweight Joseph Parker via unanimous decision after Parker put on a fantastic, disciplined performance.

For the first time in almost a year, the 38-year-old Wilder was unable to deliver blows with the same force, and at the end of the eighth round, Parker nearly forced the stoppage by hitting him in the corner.

American Wilder was significantly delayed by the assault, while Parker—who won the WBO heavyweight championship from 2016 to 2018—kept up his shrewd boxing.

The 31-year-old Kiwi lost the bout 118-111, 118-110, and 120-108 according to the three judges, shattering Wilder’s hopes of competing for a second world title.