Otto Wallin begins Anthony Joshua mind games with unexpected move at workout

21 December 2023 , 11:58

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Otto Wallin begins Anthony Joshua mind games with unexpected move at workout

Otto Wallin surprised fans by adopting an orthodox stance for his open workout before fighting Anthony Joshua.

Wallin looks to ruin plans of Joshua fighting Deontay Wilder in March when they meet at the 'Day of Reckoning' event in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night. The Swede is full of confidence having only been beaten by Tyson Fury four years ago in a fight that easily could have been stopped after Fury suffered a nasty gash above his eye.

A lot has been made of Joshua's past struggles against southpaw fighters given his two losses to unified world champion Oleksandr Usyk, who fights Fury for the undisputed belts in February. Joshua has previously admitted that southpaws are his nightmare and that he would have beaten Usyk if he was an orthodox fighter.

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Wallin told TNT Sports of his fight against Joshua: “I get to showcase my skills on Saturday. I'm ready for it but I'm not expecting an onslaught. He can try but he's going to get hit by shots and he doesn't like that so he will revert back to whatever he's doing. I hurt Fury, I hurt [Musrat] Gassiev, so I can hurt Joshua."

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Joshua is looking for his third win from three fights this year after winning an unconvincing decision against Jermaine Franklin in April and knocking out Robert Helenius in August. Wallin, who is unbeaten in his past six fights, said his coach has been studying Joshua's most recent fights profusely.

"We know each other pretty well from sparring and fighting in the amateurs and I’ve watched pretty much all of his fights when they happened. I watched his fights against Franklin and Helenius, his two fights with Usyk and [Andy] Ruiz, pretty much all of his fights. My trainer has watched them like a maniac," Wallin added.

"He's watched them more than me. I feel great, I feel confident in myself and my team. we have a really good bond. I trust my trainers and they trust me and that really helps going into a fight like this. I'm just focusing on Joshua and not too far ahead. A win means to much to me, to my family and my team. It's what we've been waiting for."

Harry Davies