MMA Fighting has live updates on the rounds between Anthony Joshua and Otto Wallin for the expected showdown at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday evening.
The main event between Joshua and Wallin is expected to begin around 5:30 p.m. ET on DAZN and PPV.com. Check out our Day of Reckoning results page to find out what happened on the undercard.
Anthony Joshua (26-3) had a very busy 2023. The fight against Wallin will be his third fight of the year. In April he defeated Jermaine Franklin by decision and in August he defeated Robert Helenius by seventh-round knockout.
Otto Wallin (26-1, 1 no-contest) will also compete for the third time this year on Saturday evening. Wallin defeated Helaman Olguin by unanimous decision in January and Murat Gassiev by split decision in September. He has won six fights in a row.
Check out the loaded card – LIVE HERE – on Saturday afternoon.
Next up is the main event between Joshua and Wallin.
Wallin rocked “The Winner Takes It All” by ABBA during his performance. Emotionally.
Here comes Joshua. I wonder what he's thinking now that the Wilder fight is probably no longer on the table.
Get the Joshua vs. Wallin round-by-round live blog below:
Round 1: Joshua, the aggressor, immediately. Good jab pressure as he tries to set up the right hand. Hard punch directly to the body of Joshua. Wallin can't take too many of them. Joshua's jab looks good. Wallin begins to establish his jab countering a Joshua attack. Joshua scores with a jab, with both fighters working successfully in the middle of the ring. Wallin fires a straight left shot to the body. Joshua goes blocked to his right hand. Quick left from Wallin to end the round.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 Joshua.
Round 2: Joshua with a right to the body. He uses the impact well. Wallin jabs Joshua. Left hook from Joshua. Wallin with a left that circles Joshua and resets him. Good right hand from Joshua. Neither fighter has lost much ground so far. Wallin strikes with his right hand, Joshua responds with a jab. He ventures forward with a loop to the right, but it doesn't hit. Counterattack left by Wallin. Joshua ends the round with a jab. Two rounds of competition so far.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 Joshua. Overall 20-18 Joshua.
Round 3: Wallin is now applying pressure with his jab. Joshua pins the body, but that doesn't keep Wallin away from him. Joshua is still finding the range when Wallin gives him a freebie and steps into a right hand. Wallin to the body. Big left hook from Joshua. Another good body shot scores for Joshua. Wallin has difficulty throwing without getting hit. Clearest round so far for the former champion.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 Joshua. Overall 30-27 Joshua.
Round 4: Wallin teases himself, but he keeps losing this fight. Joshua pumps jabs to the head and body. Wallin lets a shot through. Scary right hand from Joshua shaves Wallin's chin. Wallin focuses on defense while Joshua looks for a way to land with power. Nice counterattack left by Wallin running around. Joshua cuts off the ring and Wallin has to work his way out of the corner. They act with right hands.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 Joshua. Overall 40-36 Joshua.
Round 5: Joshua scores early with a right hand. He fights with a lot of confidence. That jab is money and he follows it with a straight right jab. There is another Joshua right by the corpse. Wallin opens up and eats a left hand for his troubles that have rocked him. Joshua smells blood, he still has a minute to work in this round. The right hook is blocked and Wallin appears to have recovered. Joshua tears the body apart. A left hook causes Wallin to back away just before the bell.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 Joshua. Overall 50-45 Joshua.
The rating doesn't matter. Wallin's corner has seen enough and they save their fighter. One comment states that Wallin may have a broken nose.
Official result: Anthony Joshua def. Otto Wallin via TKO in the fifth round (corner stoppage) (3:00)
Joshua says he didn't see the Deontay Wilder-Joseph Parker fight in the locker room. He says he was completely focused on Wallin. He hopes Wilder comes back strong and says he shouldn't write Wilder off just yet: “If he wants, he can come back to fight another day.”
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