"He was just better" - Otto Wallin breaks silence after Anthony Joshua loss
Otto Wallin has no excuses following his lopsided loss to Anthony Joshua.
Earlier this month, 'All In' and 'AJ' faced off in Saudi Arabia. Headlining the high-profile 'Day of Reckoning' pay-per-view card, the fight had very different meanings to both men. For Joshua, he needed a win to preserve a massive payday against Deontay Wilder.
Meanwhile, the Swede was hoping to get his name back into the title conversation. Heading into the contest, Wallin was undefeated, save for a 2019 defeat at the hands of Tyson Fury. However, he nearly upset 'The Gypsy King' that night and hoped to do the same against Joshua.
Instead, Otto Wallin vs. Anthony Joshua wasn't even close. The former two-time champion battered 'All In', rocking him badly and forcing him to quit on the stool after round five. While his aforementioned payday with 'The Bronze Bomber' still hangs in the balance, it was a good night for Joshua.
In the week since the contest, Wallin hasn't spoken about the bout. However, he broke his silence in a recent interview with Boxing NewsED. There, Wallin made no excuses, stating (via Michael Benson):
“I really have no excuses, he was just better. He hit me with some really good shots. He was just better… It was a much tougher fight than what I had with Tyson Fury. Maybe he's found his home with Ben Davison.”
Check out his comments below (1:00):
Lennox Lewis questions Otto Wallin's preparation for Anthony Joshua
While Otto Wallin made no excuses for his loss, Lennox Lewis still has questions.
While 'All In' was the betting underdog for last weekend's heavyweight bout, few expected him to lose as badly as he did. Especially given the fact that when he stepped up to the top level, Wallin has performed well thus far.
Speaking on the broadcast following Wallin's defeat, the legendary Lennox Lewis didn't hold back. When asked about his thoughts on 'AJ's' performance, he gave an interesting answer.
There, he stated that it was hard to take away a lot from the fight. 'The Lion' also questioned if Wallin properly prepared for the fight. Lewis stated on the TNT Sports broadcast (via Boxing Scene):
“[Wallin] had no definition in his body. I don’t know if he worked hard in the gym and I don’t know if he threw any punches that landed cause AJ looked like a movie start after the fight like he hadn’t even been in a fight.”