Tyson Fury has talked up Otto Wallin after the Swede was confirmed as his next opponent by suggesting he’s the right challenge ahead of a rematch with Deontay Wilder.
The pair will meet next month in Las Vegas as the 30-year-old Briton continues to prep himself for another heavyweight clash with Wilder in 2020.
The pair battled out a controversial draw last year – a fight Fury was convinced he had won despite being knocked down late in the tussle. Wallin, a 6ft 5in southpaw, has 20 wins – 13 via knockout – on his record and is ranked fourth globally by the WBA and 11th by the IBF.
However, he will be taking a sharp rise in class when he enters the ring with Fury. “Otto Wallin is a world-ranked fighter and is tall, something we want with the Deontay Wilder rematch around the corner,” said Fury, who has 28 wins and a draw on his record.
“He is also a southpaw, which will bring its own obstacles, but I will be fully focused to get this job done because the rematch needs to happen.”
Wilder is due to face Cuba’s Luis Ortiz later this year in a repeat of their own 2018 contest. With that in mind, Fury will box again before the year is out.
“After the Ortiz fight, Wilder isn’t going to be ready to fight again in February,” Fury told BT Sport. “So after I beat Wallin, I am going to fight again in December back in England.”