Anthony Joshua beat Otto Wallin to a bloody pulp en route to an impressive stoppage victory in Saudi Arabia. The Swede was pulled out by his corner at the end of the fifth round following a one-sided beating that left his face battered and bruised.
Joshua came into the Wallin fight knowing that a blockbuster showdown with Deontay Wilder was off the cards following a shock defeat to Joseph Parker in the co-feature attraction. But that didn’t appear to be on his mind as he came out of the blocks firing on all cylinders.
In stark contrast to Wilder’s cumbersome display moments earlier, Joshua looked sharp and dangerous early in the contest. He quickly found his range with some powerful straight shots that snapped back the Swede’s head.
Not since the first fight with Andy Ruiz Jr had boxing fans been treated to this version of AJ. The Watford powerhouse was clearly on the lookout for a stoppage.
In the fourth round, Joshua began to up the tempo as he lined up a crafty pull counter off of a decoy jab. Joshua in complete control throughout. Round five saw more of the same with AJ continuing to pile on the pressure in search of a fight-ending shot.
The former unified heavyweight champion uncorked a vicious right hand followed by a left hook that rocked his adversary to his boots. Wallin staggered back to the ropes. Joshua came after him in hot pursuit. The Swede held on for dear life. When Wallin made his way back to his stool the towel came out and the fight was stopped. A fine first outing for Joshua under his new trainer Ben Davison.
“I’m a gifted fighter who has a special gift and I use it to be my best ability,” said Joshua in the immediate aftermath of his dominant victory. “I’m searching for greatness. I’m trying to improve and Ben Davison is a really good addition to my improvement, all the team under Ben Davison are great and they’ve helped me develop in a short space of time.
“I wasn’t watching [the Wilder fight]. I just focus on myself. I know how important this fight was for me. I heard that Deontay lost, so what? He will come back, but it shows that there are small margins.”
