November 15th 2023.
It's been confirmed that Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder will fight on a star-studded show in Saudi Arabia on December 23rd. Both fighters will take on opponents in separate bouts as a stepping stone to fight each other in 2024, eight years in the making.
The card will be backed by Turki Alalshikh, whose role in bringing Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou together in October 2020 is well-known. Joshua will face Otto Wallin in the main event while Wilder will take on former world champion Joseph Parker two days before Christmas.
The fight will be an historic night for boxing, with six of the eight fights on the card being heavyweight fights. These fights bring together some of the most renowned boxers and promotional rivals, such as Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren.
One of the most remarkable aspects of the card is that it was originally reserved for Tyson Fury's undisputed title showdown with Oleksandr Usyk. However, after Fury's bruising battle against Ngannou, the date has now been pushed back to February 17th.
Joshua's opponent Wallin is no slouch either, having gone the distance with Fury in 2019. Sadly, due to logistical issues, Joshua will be trained by Ben Davison in the lead up to the fight, the same man who was in Fury's corner for the same fight four years ago.
The lineup for the December 23rd card is as follows: Anthony Joshua vs Otto Wallin, Deontay Wilder vs Joseph Parker, Daniel Dubois vs Jarrell Miller, Dmitry Bivol vs Lyndon Arthur, Jai Opetaia vs Ellis Zorro, Filip Hrgovic vs Mark De Mori, Frank Sanchez vs Junior Fa, and Arslanbek Makhmudov vs Agit Kabayel.
Wilder, 38, will be fighting for just the second time in over two years, having knocked out Robert Helenius last October. On the other hand, his opponent Parker has won three bouts this year alone.
Meanwhile, WBA light-heavyweight champion Bivol, the man who outclassed Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in 2022, will also be part of the card, fighting for the first time this year against Manchester’s Lyndon Arthur.
Arthur stunned Anthony Yarde with a superb performance in 2021 before suffering a knockout defeat in their rematch later that year. The IBO champion now challenges for one of boxing’s major world titles for the first time ever.
Jai Opetaia will also be in action against British opposition in Ellis Zorro. Opetaia has stopped 18 of his 23 opponents to date, including a brutal knockout of another English fighter in Jordan Thompson in September.
Filip Hrgovic, the mandatory challenger for Usyk’s IBF title, will face Mark de Mori, the veteran Australian who was knocked out in one round by David Haye eight years ago.
In the two other heavyweight fights, Cuban sensation Frank Sanchez takes on Junior Fa with the unbeaten Arslanbek Makhmudov up against Agit Kabayel.
The winning combination of Joshua and Wilder will fight next year, provided they come through December unscathed. This is what makes the December 23rd card so spectacular - it brings together some of the biggest names in boxing, with fights that have been eight years in the making. It's sure to be an unforgettable night for boxing fans.
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