Anthony Joshua should be fighting Deontay Wilder next, not Otto Wallin according to retired super middleweight champion Carl Froch.
Two-time WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight champion Joshua 26-3 (23) has long been linked to a bout against former WBC champion Wilder 43-2-1 (42) with the proposed fight close to being signed earlier this year before falling over at the last hurdle.
The duo will now take on separate opponents on the massive ‘Day of Reckoning’ show at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on December 23.
The card will feature six heavyweight bouts and two world title fights with IBF and Ring Magazine champion Jai Opetaia and WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol defending their crowns against Ellis Zorro and Lyndon Arthur respectively.
Britain’s Joshua, 34, will take on 31-year-old Swedish southpaw Wallin 26-1 (14). American Wilder, 38, will clash with 31-year-old New Zealander and former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker 33-3 (23).
The Joshua and Wilder bouts are seen as a precursor to a fight between to the two next year.
But if Froch had his way, the pair would be fighting now.
“It’s a bit disappointing for AJ to be fighting Wallin instead of Deontay Wilder, because the AJ vs Wilder fight for me is a very big fight, it’s a fight I could look forward to, it’s a fight I could get excited about,” Froch said to talkSPORT.
“It’s one of them where you think, ‘What happens?’. Does AJ get absolutely obliterated and knocked out in a couple of rounds because he’s a bit mentally still tentative in the way in which he does his work? Or does AJ actually turn up and put on a boxing masterclass and maybe even finish off Wilder?
“There’s so many different outcomes, it’s a juicy fight, so to now find out that AJ’s fighting Wallin, I’m disappointed.”
Joshua has had a busy year by modern standards. The Wallin bout will be his third in 2023 following his 12-round unanimous decision win over Jermaine Franklin in April and his sixth-round knockout of Robert Helenius in August.
Wallin’s claim to fame is busting up Tyson Fury’s face in a losing effort four years ago, leaving him needing 47 stitches for cuts around his right eye.
He has won six fights on the bounce since then, including a decision win over former unified cruiserweight champion Murat Gassiev in September.
“You can see Anthony Joshua, Eddie Hearn and his team are still in the rebuilding process, because Otto Wallin is not a bad fight,” Froch continued.
“It’s AJ back out there against someone who is quite capable, we saw him against Tyson Fury and he gave him that nasty cut, he’s on a run of a few decent little wins since then, but let’s be honest it’s nothing to get too excited about.”
