Otto Wallin entered to “The winner takes it all” by Abba when he faced Anthony Joshua in the star-studded “Day of Reckoning” gala in Saudi Arabia.
There, the Briton was the big favorite and lived up to expectations.
Joshua, who has held three of the four major WC titles, opened confidently and strongly. Already in the second round he had received a hard blow to the nose which caused Wallin to start bleeding.
Broke in the fifth round
Joshua had a big advantage and the Swede was getting more and more bruised. And with just over a minute left in the fifth round, Joshua landed a hard hit that shook the Swede.
– It’s the best I’ve seen him in a while, says former professional boxer Anthony Fowler about Joshua’s effort.
Wallin managed to stay on his feet and made it through the entire round – in vain. His trainer Joey Gamache chose to throw in the towel and stop the match to protect the Swede before the sixth round.
– Otto is a true warrior, but his ring corner made the decision, Otto himself probably wanted to continue. But this was my day, says Joshua in the victory interview with DAZN.
After Gamache threw in the towel, there were several who were critical of the decision.
– I think Otto has to leave Gamache. He is certainly a good coach but he is not ready for this level or the limelight. He felt lost in the corner and I didn’t see any drive, says the DAZN commentator.
The loss was Wallin’s third of his professional career. He has previously lost twice to Tyson Fury.