From Dan Rafael
Joshua-Wallin & Wilder-Parker ticketed for huge Saudi Arabia card
Plus: Details on all other matches in works for Dec. 23 mega event
DAN RAFAEL
NOV 11, 2023
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Should the deals in the works that would see heavyweight stars Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder fight in separate bouts on a mostly-heavyweight extravaganza being planned for Dec. 23 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, be finalized, their opponents have been agreed to.
Former two-time unified titleholder Joshua would fight Otto Wallin in the main event of the pay-per-view and former WBC titleholder Wilder would square off with former WBO titleholder Joseph Parker in the co-feature, sources with knowledge of the deals told Fight Freaks Unite.
There are also several additional notable bouts in various stages of being finalized for the event, including WBA light heavyweight titlist Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs), 32, of Russia, who likely would face “Popeye the Sailor Man” Richard Rivera (25-1, 19 KOs), 32, of Hartford, Connecticut, whose only loss was by split decision to former three-division titlist Badou Jack, sources told Fight Freaks Unite.
Several top heavyweights are also ticketed for the card spearheaded by Turki Alalshikh of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, which has been spending lavishly to bring major sports and entertainment events to the country.
Organizers, including Queensberry Promotions’ Frank Warren, who has forged a relationship with the Saudis in doing their deals for lineal/WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury’s recent bout against former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and the deal for Fury’s forthcoming undisputed championship fight against three-belt titlist Oleksandr Usyk, are aiming to put on a news conference on Wednesday in London, although there remains much work to be done on various contracts, sources said.
Other heavyweight fights in the works:
- Filip Hrgovic (16-0, 13 KOs), 31, of Croatia, who is the IBF mandatory challenger and recently became a promotional free agent, against an opponent to be determined.
- Arslanbek Makhmudov (18-0, 17 KOs), 34, a Montreal-based Russian, against European champion Agit Kabayel (23-0, 15 KOs), 31, of Germany. Makhmudov boxed in Riyadh on the Fury-Ngannou undercard and knocked out Junior Wright in the first round.
- Former WBA “regular” titleholder Daniel Dubois (19-2, 18 KOs), 26, of England, who is coming off a one-sided ninth-round knockout loss to Usyk on Aug. 26, against Jarrell Miller (26-0-1, 22 KOs), 35, of Brooklyn, New York.
- Frank Sanchez (23-0, 16 KOs), 31, a Cuban contender fighting out of Miami, Florida, versus Junior Fa (20-2, 11 KOs), 34, of New Zealand.
The original plan for Dec. 23 was for Fury and Usyk, holder of the WBO, IBF and WBA belts, to fight for the undisputed heavyweight title in Riyadh in a fight that has already been signed.
However, their historic pairing to produce the first-ever four-belt heavyweight champion and the first undisputed champion in the division since Lennox Lewis outpointed Evander Holyfield in the three-belt era in their 1999 rematch has been pushed back until at least February.
The reason is because Fury had a much harder fight than expected against Ngannou on Oct. 28 in the opening event of the annual Riyadh Season cultural festival. Fury was shockingly dropped by a clean left hook in the third round, had his left eye swollen and was banged around before eking out a disputed 10-round split decision over Ngannou, who was crossing over from MMA for his pro boxing debut.
Whether Joshua and Wilder ever fight each other remains to be seen. That fight has been discussed on and off for years, including in recent months to take place in Saudi Arabia. But when the financing of that bout for the end of this year or early next year could not be worked out, the plan for separate bouts on the same card — with the hope they will eventually fight each other — was hatched once Fury-Usyk was delayed.
Wallin (26-1, 14 KOs), 32, a Swedish southpaw living in New York, made his name in 2019 when he lost a highly competitive decision to Fury in Las Vegas. He badly cut Fury around his right eye and nearly stopped him because of the injury.
Wallin is coming off a split decision win over former unified cruiserweight titlist Murat Gassiev in an IBF title eliminator for the No. 2 position on Sept. 30.
Parker (33-3, 23 KOs), 31, of New Zealand and a close friend of Fury, won his third fight in a row on the Fury-Ngannou undercard by knocking out Canadian Simon Kean in the third round.
Since losing his three title belts to Usyk by decision in 2021 and another decision in their 2022 immediate rematch, Joshua (26-3, 23 KOs), 34, of England, has won two fights this year working with new trainer Derrick James. He outpointed Jermaine Franklin in April and stopped Robert Helenius, who accepted the bout on five days’ notice after Dillian Whyte was dropped due to a failed drug test, in the seventh round in August.
Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs), 38, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, has been very inactive, having boxed just once in each of the last three years: a seventh-round knockout loss to Fury that cost him the WBC title in their February 2020 rematch; an 11th-round knockout to Fury in their all-time classic third bout in October 2021; and a first-round knockout of Helenius in October 2022.
