Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder will find themselves in the same ring on December 23 but not against each other.
An official announcement was made in London on Wednesday that former two-time WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight champion Joshua 26-3 (23) will take on longtime contender Otto Wallin 26-1 (14) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia two days out from Christmas, while former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder 43-2-1 (42) will meet former WBO champion Joseph Parker 33-3 (23) on the same card.
All four boxers are ranked in the top 10 by The Ring. Joshua and Wilder are two and three respectively, while Wallin is number 10 and Parker is number five.
Swedish southpaw Wallin, 32, gave current WBC titleholder Tyson Fury 34-0-1 (24) all he could handle in a losing effort in their bloody clash four years ago, opening up nasty cuts on the self-styled Gypsy King’s face that required dozens of stitches to close the wounds.
He also has history with Britain’s Joshua, 34, who beat him twice in the amateurs.
“People are talking like I’ve peaked when they’ve never even seen a peak in their career, so I don’t know what they’re talking about,” Joshua said.
“I’m looking forward to relaying my message to Otto Wallin on 23 December. I can’t predict the future, but I know where I wanna go, I know what I wanna do, and I’m sticking to my plan.
“I’m a man of my word and I believe in being a three-time champion of the world. This is what I like about the division: There’s a roadmap with checkpoints and I can’t wait to get to the final destination. I’m fully focused on this fight, I’m determined to win and I’m determined to get back to my ‘peak’.”
American puncher Wilder, 38, will be having just his second bout in the past two years following his opening round knockout of Robert Helenius 32-5 (21) in October last year.
New Zealander Parker, 31, has been far more active, fighting three time already this year.
“Parker’s good at the end of the day, I think highly of him. He’s an amazing human being as a man, he’s a great fighter as well. It’s gonna be a remarkable feeling to finally share the ring with him,” Wilder said.
“The blessing is I have the ability to knock a single man out with one punch. This is something that’s been with me all my life, it’s not something I’ve developed. The curse is that it’s allowed people to shy away from me, to be fearful. Sometimes that can be harmful to the business of boxing.”
Joshua and Wilder seemed close to a deal that would see them box each other this year, however changes at Saudi outfit Skill Challenge Promotions saw those talks dry up. If both are successful on December 23 they will likely be matched early next year.
“It’s good to be in the same room [as Joshua], to see him face to face, it’s been a long time coming,” Wilder said. “I wish you nothing but the best, bro, and hopefully we can get in the ring some time soon.”
There are several more heavyweight bouts on the card including Daniel Dubois 19-2 (18) vs Jarrell Miller 26-0-1 (22), Filip Hrgovic 16-0 (13) vs Mark De Mori 41-2-2 (36), Frank Sanchez 23-0 (15) vs Junior Fa 20-2 (11) and Arslanbek Makhmudov 18-0 (17) vs Agit Kabayel 23-0 (15).
The card will feature a total of six of The Ring’s top 10 rated heavyweights.
Two world title fight will round out the bill with IBF and Ring Magazine champion Jai Opetaia 23-0 (18) defending his crown against Ellis Zorro 17-0 (7) and WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol 21-0 (11) staking his belt against Lyndon Arthur 23-1 (16).
