Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are set to collide in a mammoth event during the final quarter of 2026 and the pair share six common opponents. One of those men is Sweden’s Otto Wallin, who has shared his thoughts on how he believes the fight may play out.
Wallin famously faced Fury when ‘The Gypsy King’ was on the comeback trail, and the Swede made Fury work for his win, leaving the Briton requiring 47 stitches after dealing him with a cut above the eye in a bloodied battle that went the full 12 rounds.
Four years later, Wallin suffered a second career defeat when he retired in the corner after five rounds of one-sided action against Joshua, in what was arguably the best performance from ‘AJ’ since he lost his world titles to Oleksandr Usyk.
Speaking to Hajper, Wallin reflected on those fights and advised ‘AJ’ on the best way for him to trump his perennial rival.
“Joshua proved to be very good that night. He was very powerful, very strong, but also I found it hard to hit him that night. Maybe it was just me, but I couldn’t really find him that much.
“It’s a close fight. I don’t think Fury looked that good against Makhmudov, but he also has a tendency to sometimes fight worse against opponents who are not as good. Joshua can make it an interesting fight by going to the body.
“Joshua needs to use what he’s good at, I really think he should just bang Fury’s body to slow him down. Joshua punches very hard, and if he can land some good body shots, I think that would make a good difference.
“I think it’s his best chance of winning in general, because he shouldn’t be chasing Fury’s head. I think he really needs to bang the body, because he throws good body shots when he uses them. It’s hard to tell, honestly, who’s going to win.”
Despite that advice, Wallin admitted that he still sees Fury as the favourite.
“Fury would probably be the favourite, but it’s a very interesting fight. I think Fury is a better boxer, but Joshua is not to be underestimated. He’s very sharp. He has pretty fast feet and fast hands, and he’s very powerful.
“So, if he can land some good shots, it will definitely be a very interesting fight, and a fight that he can win also. But Fury is a good boxer. He moves well, and he’s smart. When he’s in those big fights, usually he fights very well.”
Fury-Joshua is set to take place in either October or November, providing Joshua doesn’t suffer a shock upset defeat to Albania’s Kristian Prenga on Saturday, July 25.
