Joshua took Wallin out in five rounds in December (Picture: Getty)
John Fury has blasted Anthony Joshua’s previous opponent Otto Wallin, insisting the Swedish heavyweight ‘embarrassed himself and his team’ in their December fight.
Joshua headlined the ‘Day of Reckoning’ card in Saudi Arabia against Wallin on 23 December. Having beaten Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius earlier in the year, the two-time heavyweight champion battered Wallin from the opening bell with his corner pulling him out at the end of the fifth round.
Wallin, 33, was considered a decent test for Joshua, having gone 12 rounds with Tyson Fury back in 2019. That night in Las Vegas, the Swede opened up a huge cut above Fury’s right eye and would have walked away as the winner if the fight had been stopped.
‘When Anthony Joshua got in the ring with Otto Wallin, Wallin crapped himself,’ Fury Snr told Metro.co.uk courtesy of Free Bets.
‘He didn’t want to know. “Pay me and let me get back home”. He embarrassed his team and himself. That wasn’t the man who fought Tyson. He didn’t show he was game at all. It was an embarrassment. He let his people down. But if your man doesn’t want it on the night, what can you do? He had a meltdown on the night.’
Fury Snr hailed Joshua’s performance that night, believing the confidence the former champion entered the ring with made Wallin wilt on the big stage.
Deontay Wilder’s defeat to Joseph Parker the same night meanwhile wrecked plans for his long-awaited meeting with Joshua with the Briton instead scheduled to face Francis Ngannou on 8 March back in Saudi.
Joshua and Ngannou will meet on 8 March (Picture: Getty)
While believing Joshua is now a ‘different man’ after bouncing back from two defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, Fury Snr believes the former UFC heavyweight champion has the ability to take out his rival with one punch.
‘Ngannou will turn out to be a menace,’ Fury Snr continued. ‘When I saw him box, he looked like a man who has had 30 professional fights. If he comes to fight, it will be a great night for him.
‘It is a 50-50 fight. But if Ngannou hits him, it will be over. AJ looked great in December, he was a different man, he was focused, he wanted it. That determination was key. Some people get better through a loss and that’s what happened to AJ. No more pressure about his record. Now he’s not so far away from becoming a three time champion.’
Joshua and Ngannou were in London this week as their March showdown was officially unveiled.
Hearn and Warren shook hands over future plans on Monday (Picture: Getty)
Turki Alalshikh, the head of Saudi’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA) and the man credited with bringing some of boxing’s biggest names together, was centre stage in the capital with promoters Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren once again sat side-by-side.
Once fierce promotional rivals, Hearn and Warren are now working together on the Saudi shows with Fury Snr believing the pair are now just ‘accessories’ when making the biggest fights in the sport with Alalshikh running the show.
‘When Turki Alalshikh walks in the room, Frank and Eddie are nobodies,’ he said. ‘They should all get down and bow to him. He has made them all rich. In America they are penny pinchers and they are the same here in UK. They are just accessories to make the job look good.
‘When they are all in the same room there is only one man we are looking at. They will follow him around because at the end of the day he is the man with the chequebook.
‘He says to Frank, he says to Eddie, this is what your role is. No more, no less. I’m not knocking those lads, good luck to them getting filthy rich, but without Turki and Saudi none of this happens.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
News Related
-
Asylum seekers travel in an inflatable boat across the English Channel, bound for Dover on the south coast of England (Photo: Ben Stansall/AFP) Up to 40 Conservative MPs are poised to rebel over Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda deportation policy as they question ministers’ commitment to the scheme. A major row is ...
See Details:
Up to 40 Tory MPs ‘set to rebel’ if Sunak’s Rwanda plan doesn’t override ECHR
-
In the saltmarsh fringing where the Ballyboe River dissolves into Trawbreaga Bay, a little egret wears its plumage like a windblown stole. Our car swoops across the 10 arches of Malin bridge and we park along the village green. Malin is almost as far north as you can get on ...
See Details:
Country diary: A tale of three churches
-
Photograph: Chris Ratcliffe/EPA Hampton Court is an enduring monument to the power of Henry VIII, a pleasure palace down the Thames from Westminster and the City of London. On Monday it was the scene of power projection of a different kind, as Rishi Sunak pitched for investment from some of ...
See Details:
Sunak woos business elite with royal welcome – but they seek certainty
-
-
Tottenham interested in move to sign “fearless” £20m defender in January Tottenham Hotspur have joined the race to bring an overseas defender to the Premier League in January, according to a fresh report. Postecoglou’s centre-back options The Lilywhites currently have Micky Van De Ven, Ashley Phillips, Cristian Romero and Eric ...
See Details:
Tottenham interested in move to sign “fearless” £20m defender in January
-
A £100m campaign urging households and businesses to use less water will be funded from customers’ bills, Ofwat has said. Bill payers to stump up cost of £100m water usage campaign The regulator’s chief executive David Black told MPs that if the measures worked it would be cheaper than building ...
See Details:
Bill payers to stump up cost of £100m water usage campaign
-
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football – FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 – Group B – Canada Training – Olympic Park, Melbourne, Australia – July 24, 2023 Canada’s Christine Sinclair during training REUTERS/Hannah Mckay/File Photo (Reuters) – BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, will be renamed “Christine Sinclair ...
See Details:
Soccer-Venue renamed 'Christine Sinclair Place' for Canada soccer great's final game
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Phil Taylor makes his pick for 2024 World Darts Championship winner
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Soccer-Howe aims to boost Newcastle's momentum in PSG clash
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Hamilton heads for hibernation with a word of warning
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Carolina Panthers fire head coach Frank Reich after 1-10 start to the season
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
This exercise is critical for golfers. 4 tips to doing it right
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
One in three households with children 'will struggle to afford Christmas'
-
OTHER NEWS
Kobbie Mainoo made his first start for Man Utd at Everton (Photo: Getty) The Football Association are reportedly confident that Manchester United starlet Kobbie Mainoo will choose to represent England ...
Read more »
Michael Smith will begin the defence of his world title on the opening night (Picture: Getty Images) The 2024 World Darts Championship is less than three weeks away and the ...
Read more »
For the first time a long haul commercial aircraft is flying across the Atlantic using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). A long haul commercial flight is flying to the US ...
Read more »
The King has met business and finance leaders from across the world at a Buckingham Palace reception to mark the conclusion of the UK’s Global Investment Summit. Charles was introduced ...
Read more »
After Ohio State’s 30-24 loss to Michigan Saturday, many college football fans were wondering where Lou Holtz was. In his postgame interview after the Buckeyes beat Notre Dame 17-14 in ...
Read more »
Darius Slay wouldn’t have minded being penalized on controversial no-call No matter which team you were rooting for on Sunday, we can all agree that the officiating job performed by ...
Read more »
New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) Quarterback Mac Jones remains committed to finding success with the New England Patriots even though his future is up in the air following ...
Read more »