Sources — Joshua-Wallin, Wilder-Parker bouts set for Dec. 23

Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder will face off in separate fights on December 23 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, sources told ESPN, in what could serve as a prelude to the long-awaited battle between the former heavyweight champions. next year.

Joshua will face Otto Wallin, who gave Tyson Fury all he could handle in their 2019 encounter, while Wilder will face former heavyweight titleholder Joseph Parker, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.

If Joshua and Wilder both earn victories, they will be on a collision course for a much-discussed fight between two of the division’s biggest punchers. Wilder is considered by many to be the most devastating puncher in the history of the heavyweight championship.

On the undercard, Daniel Dubois will face Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller, sources said, while Frank Sanchez will face Junior Fa. Cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia, ESPN’s No. 1 200-pounder, will also compete on the all-star card , sources said.

Fury and Oleksandr Usyk were scheduled to meet for the undisputed heavyweight championship on December 23 in the Saudi capital, but after Fury’s tougher-than-expected win over former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, the fight was postponed. been postponed to February 17 in Riyadh. sources said.

That left December 23 open, and Saudi officials moved quickly to draw up a stacked card featuring the third and fourth best heavyweights in the division, as well as other contenders in boxing’s glamor division.

Joshua (29-3, 23 KOs) is ESPN’s No. 4 heavyweight. The two-time English heavyweight champion has won two times since suffering back-to-back defeats to Usyk and, in doing so, all three of his titles.

Most recently, Joshua scored a seventh-round knockout over Robert Helenius in August. The 34-year-old also lost to Andy Ruiz Jr. in June 2019, but bounced back to defeat him later that year in Riyadh and reclaim the unified championship.

Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs) has fought just once since suffering an 11th-round knockout loss to Fury in their heavyweight title trilogy in November 2021, which was named ESPN Fight of the Year and Knockout of the Year.

And this return fight lasted only one round while Wilder lost Helenius senses last October. The 38-year-old from Alabama drew with Fury in the first fight before also being stopped in the rematch. However, Wilder defeated Fury four times between the first and third encounter.

Swede Wallin (26-1, 14 KOs) pushed Fury to the brink during their fight in 2019. Wallin, ESPN’s No. 10 heavyweight, is coming off his career-best victory, a decision win shared against former cruiserweight titleholder Murat Gassiev in September.

ESPN’s No. 7 heavyweight Filip Hrgovic will also appear on the card, according to sources. Croatian Hrgovic (16-0, 13 KOs) is No. 1 in the IBF heavyweight rankings while Wallin is No. 2. Fury-Usyk has a two-way rematch clause, and it’s extremely likely they’ll meet again later next year. . If that is the case, the IBF has already ruled that Hrgovic would then fight the next available contender for the vacant title.

It’s currently Wallin, with Joshua one spot behind him, meaning the winner of the fight could be positioned for a title fight against Hrgovic.

New Zealander Parker (33-3, 23 KOs) is ESPN’s No. 8 heavyweight. He beat Ruiz by majority decision in 2016 to win a vacant heavyweight title, but lost it three fights later to Joshua. Parker has won three straight since an 11th round knockout loss to Joe Joyce last year.

England’s Dubois (19-2, 18 KOs) was knocked out in round 9 of his heavyweight title challenge against Usyk in August. Brooklyn’s Miller (26-0-1, 22 KOs) was scheduled to fight Joshua in 2019 before being suspended for PED use. Miller was later suspended again for the same infraction.

Cuban Sanchez (23-0, 16 KOs) is one of the most avoided fighters in the heavyweight division. He is coached by Eddy Reynoso, former ESPN Coach of the Year and coach of Canelo Alvarez.

New Zealander Fa (20-2, 11 KO) bounced back with a first-round knockout victory last October. That ended a two-fight skid that included a decision loss to Parker and a first-round knockout loss to Lucas Browne.