British-Nigerian former heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua put in a terrific performance on Saturday night to beat Otto Wallin on technical knockout at round 5.
However, Deontay Wilder suffered a shocking defeat against Joseph Parker on the same bill in Saudi Arabia.
Briton Joshua boxed magnificently, dominating Wallin before the Swede’s corner pulled him out of the fight at the end of the fifth, BBC reports.
Earlier in the night, Wilder appeared a shadow of himself in Riyadh, and was hurt badly in the eighth as New Zealander Parker was awarded a unanimous decision.
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Parker, also a former world champion, was awarded a unanimous decision with the judges’ scoring it 118-111, 118-110 and 120-108.
Saudi organisers had already pencilled in the Joshua-Wilder bout for next year. While no contract had been signed, the pair were expected to enter the ring post-fight and announce a deal to fight at some point in early 2024.
Wilder admitted all the talk of a fight at least five years in the making had been “a distraction”, although Joshua more than did his part.
After the fight, promoter Eddie Hearn said Joshua is most likely going to face Croatia’s Filip Hrgovic for a vacant IBF world title, bidding to become a three-time world champion.
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