Day Of Reckoning full fight card including Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder
This weekend, Anthony Joshua’s matchup with Otto Wallin in Saudi Arabia is one of the most heavily stacked cards in boxing history.
Following the postponement of Tyson Fury’s match against Oleksandr Usyk from this weekend to February 17, the rulers of the Kingdom have once again dug into their pockets to make sure they will still put on a show. Not satisfied with placing Joshua at the top of the list, they also persuaded Deontay Wilder to fight Joseph Parker once more.
A light-heavyweight world title match, a world-class cruiserweight bout, and a few heavyweight contenders are among the other events on the Day of Reckoning card. Everything you need to know about Saturday’s extraordinarily stacked card is provided here.
Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin
Joshua hasn’t exactly selected an easy opponent for what might be a career-defining bout, but he is aware that he can’t afford to make a mistake against the crafty Swede. In 2019, Wallin gave Tyson Fury a hard time, forcing the British player to get stitches for an eye cut. After winning on points, Fury—who wasn’t the world champion at the time—became the winner of two straight bouts against Wilder. Wallin defeated Murat Gassiev in September, but he has subsequently had difficulty landing significant bouts. Although Joshua has triumphed in two fights so far this year, he is aware that Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius are superior fighters.
Joseph Parker vs. Deontay Wilder
Since destroying Helenius inside his first bout after falling to Fury twice, Wilder has been out of the ring for fourteen months. After losing two straight bouts against Fury, the hard-hitting American had calls to retire, but he refused to give up and is still one of the most dangerous fighters in the heavyweight class. If he defeats Parker, he may arrange a rematch with Joshua or another world title battle. The New Zealander needs to win this weekend in order to maintain his hopes of competing for a world title again.
Dmitrii Bivol vs Lyndon Arthur
Debate will rage over the best light-heavyweight in the world until Bivol fights Artur Beterbiev but we must keep waiting for that one. In the meantime, Arthur steps up for the toughest challenge of his career having won four fights in succession since he lost his rematch with Anthony Yarde in 2021.
Daniel Dubois vs Jarrell Miller
Daniel Dubois thought he had stopped Oleksandr Usyk in August when he dropped the world champion with a body shot – but it was ruled a low blow. Dubois struggled to regain his focus and was ultimately stopped himself as his first world title challenge ended in failure. Miller, meanwhile, is attempting to rebuild his reputation after being banned for taking drugs ahead of his doomed clash with Anthony Joshua in 2019. He ha since won four fights against limited opposition but questions remain over his conditioning.
Jai Opetaia vs Ellis Zorro
Opetaia should be defending his cruiserweight world title but the IBF refused his request to fight Ellis Zoro as a voluntary challenger. Opetaia has relinquished his belt after refusing to turn down the money on offer to fight in Saudi Arabia. Zorro now faces an uphill task without even the prospect of being crowned world champion.
Arslanbek Makhmudov vs Agit Kabayel
Makhmudov, who has won 17 of his 18 bouts via knockout, is among the most formidable fighters in the heavyweight class. Agit Kabayel is still unbeaten, but his greatest victory may have come in 2017 against a passive Derek Chisora, and the 31-year-old is probably going to fall short in this one.
Junior Fa vs Frank Sanchez
Although Sanchez hasn’t lost in 23 games, he has had trouble building on his career-best victory over Efe Ajagba from two years ago. After losing to Parker and Lucas Browne in back-to-back fights, Fa, a New Zealander, will at least be a step up from his past opponents.
Mark De Mori versus Filip Hrgovic
De Mori is a man that you may recognise from his 2016 comeback bout against David Haye. Although he hasn’t lost since, it doesn’t seem like much given his opponents. Hrgovic won’t be stopped by De Mori from challenging Fury for the IBF championship, which will probably become vacant after Fury defeats Oleksandr Usyk in February.