Deontay Wilder 43-2-1 (42) has implored Anthony Joshua 26-3 (23) to maintain his focus on Otto Wallin 26-1 (14) ahead of their clash on the big ‘Day of Reckoning’ card at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.
The show will feature five other heavyweight bouts alongside two-time unified champion Joshua’s fight with Swedish southpaw Wallin. Former WBC champion Wilder will meet former WBO champion Joseph Parker 33-3 (23).
Joshua and Wilder are expected to face each other in the first half of 2024 if they win their bouts on the weekend.
“I like that fight between those two guys and may the best man win,” Wilder said of the Joshua vs Wallin fight to talkSPORT.
“I think Joshua, I see him winning this fight if his mind is in the right place. If he goes in there with self-confidence and the will to win and the motion to go and do what he’s got to do and get the job done then I see him winning that fight.
“But if he goes in there thinking about what’s next, especially when it’s pertaining to me or any other thing outside of that, then he might be finding himself in some big trouble. On the day of the fight we’ll find out, but I do have him winning that fight and hopefully everything serves its purpose right and he does come out and win.
“And once that happens, I come out with the win and he comes out with the win, great things are happening after that, that’s for sure.”
The 38-year-old Wilder looks to have a tougher task in front of him that Britain’s Joshua, 34. With less than one round of activity in more than two years, the American will be facing an active Parker who has boxed four times since September last year.
The 31-year-old Kiwi’s former trainer Kevin Barry believes the timing of the fight is perfect for Parker.
“It’s a great fight and at this particular stage of Joe’s career, this is the perfect fight,” Barry said to Stuff NZ. “Joe is 10 or 11 years into his career now, so this is a good piece of business. There’s a lot to be gained here.
“I like the fact that Joe is being very active in ’23. He had the one fight in 2022, a very tough fight with Joe Joyce, and he’s come back with three opponents – Jack Massey, [Faiga] Opelu and Simon Kean, all relatively easy fights for him. I think some of Joe’s best performances in the past have been when he’s stayed active.”
Barry admits that Wilder will remain dangerous as long as he is on his feat, but questioned whether age had diminished his skills.
“When you look at real, true punchers – and Deontay is one of the biggest ever of all time – when the reflexes lapse and slow down, when you lose a little bit of timing, when your legs aren’t as solid a base as they once were, the last thing that a fighter loses is his power,” he said.
“I think it’s important that Joe comes in around 240lbs, because that is where he was the most mobile. And if Parker can get back to the movement he once displayed and uses his feints to make angles and can take Wilder into the later rounds, I believe that’s his best chance.”
