In just over a month, a major heavyweight doubleheader involving three former world champions will take place in Saudi Arabia. Otto Wallin will square off against two-time former unified champion Anthony Joshua, while former WBC champion Deontay Wilder will square off against former WBO champion Joseph Parker. These two fights are the main events on a huge programme that will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on December 23. The card was unveiled on Wednesday.

Numerous of the world’s best heavyweight contenders, including Frank Sanchez, Daniel Dubois, and Filip Hrgovic, will be on the bill. In addition, Dmitry Bivol, the champion of the WBA light heavyweight division, will return to action when he faces Lyndon Arthur for the championship.

Theoretically, these bouts will lead up to Joshua and Wilder’s ultimate showdown, but some fans may question why another fight is necessary before the second-biggest heavyweight matchup of all time—after only Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk’s impending bout for the undisputed title.

Joshua (26-3, 23 KO) has won back-to-back fights after losing the WBA, WBO, and IBF championships to Usyk and then losing the rematch. In April, he won via decision over Jermaine Franklin, then in August, he stopped Robert Helenius. He hasn’t fought since 2016, and this bout with Wallin will be his third in 2023.

The fight that made Wallin (26-1, 14 KO) famous was with Fury in 2019. Wallin’s left hand in the bout almost stopped Fury’s quest for a world title; it opened a deep gash above Fury’s eye, and Fury might have been easily stopped by a doctor’s stoppage via TKO. Fury handed Wallin his sole defeat of his professional career by surviving and winning on the scorecards. Following his defeat by Fury, Wallin has won six straight fights.

After fighting to a draw with Fury in their first encounter, Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KO) lost his rematch and lost the WBC belt in February 2020. Despite not being able to stop Fury in any of their three fights, Wilder, who possesses one of the greatest pound-for-pound blows in boxing history, has successfully knocked out almost every opponent he has faced. In October 2022, Wilder resumed his winning ways by eliminating Helenius in the opening frame following his defeat in the third Fury bout.

Parker (33-3, 23 KO), a fellow former world champion, is the opponent for Wilder. In December 2016, Parker defeated Andy Ruiz Jr. by majority decision to claim the vacant WBO title. Parker lost the crown after two successful title defences when he lost a decision to Anthony Joshua. Since then, he has gone 9-2, including his current winning run of three fights.

The schedule of scheduled fights for December 23 is listed below.

Dec. 23 card

  • Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin, heavyweights
  • Deontay Wilder vs. Joseph Parker, heavyweights
  • Dmitry Bivol (c) vs. Lyndon Arthur, WBA light heavyweight title
  • Filip Hrgovic vs. Mark de Mori, heavyweights
  • Daniel Dubois vs. Jarrell Miller, heavyweights
  • Frank Sanchez vs. Junior Fa, heavyweights