Anthony Joshua looked terrific in disposing of Otto Wallin in Riyadh last Saturday night, even drawing high praise from Deontay Wilder’s trainer.
AJ of course was expected to face Wilder in Saudi on March 9 – all he and ‘The Bronze Bomber’ needed to do was avoid defeat in their respective bouts on that ‘Day of Reckoning’ bout.
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But while Joshua brutally took Wallin apart in five one-sided rounds, Wilder was virtually shut out by Parker in dropping a one-sided points decision.
Despite the disappointment of that superfight falling apart, Wilder’s trainer Malik Scott was magnanimous after the huge card – praising Joshua for his impressive performance.
Malik Scott on Joshua vs Wallin
He told Mill City Boxing on YouTube (watch the full interview below): “I thought he did a lot better than he did his last fights, he wasn’t as hesitant, even when he stepped up on Wallin he did it from behind his front knee and he went to the body first. He was punching with bad intentions at Wallin’s guard.”
Scott also revealed the one thing he was most impressed by, a strategy which he says led to the Swede sustaining a broken nose in that traumatic fifth round.
“He was throwing hooks inside of Wallin hooks. That’s what I was impressed with the most, how short AJ’s hooks was. And that’s what broke Wallin’s nose.
“If AJ had been throwing wide hooks, he would have probably clipped Wallin from an equilibrium type of standpoint. But the hooks was so short while Wallin was hooking from a southpaw standpoint, that the hooks was getting right in. And they was getting in on his nose.
“To be sharpshooting like that, you have to be extremely, extremely focused and concentrating on your guy. AJ did a few things very well, very well.
“Lot of pressure was on him, and he came in and handled business and did what he had to do. When a man does himself well, to me there is only one thing to do, give him credit and wish him well. And AJ did.”
