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Otto Wallin

Otto Wallin
Born
Einar Otto Wallin

(1990-11-21) 21 November 1990 (age 34)
Sundsvall, Sweden
Other names"All In"[2]
Statistics
Weight(s)Heavyweight
Height1.97 m (6 ft 5+1⁄2 in)[1]
Reach198 cm (78 in)[1]
StanceSouthpaw
Boxing record
Total fights30
Wins27
Wins by KO15
Losses2
No contests1
Medal record
Swedish Youth National Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2009 Nyköping Heavyweight
Ruska Tournament
Gold medal – first place 2009 Rovaniemi Super-heavyweight
Swedish National Championships
Silver medal – second place 2010 Norrköping Super-heavyweight
Haringey Box Cup
Silver medal – second place 2010 London Super-heavyweight
Ruska Tournament
Silver medal – second place 2010 Rovaniemi Super-heavyweight
Swedish National Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Sundsvall Super-heavyweight
Nordic Championships
Silver medal – second place 2011 Lahti Super-heavyweight
Algirdas Socikas Tournament
Gold medal – first place 2011 Kaunas Super-heavyweight
Haringey Box Cup
Gold medal – first place 2011 London Super-heavyweight
Riga Open Tournament
Gold medal – first place 2011 Riga Super-heavyweight
Gee-Bee Tournament
Bronze medal – third place 2012 Helsinki Super-heavyweight

Einar Otto Wallin (born 21 November 1990) is a Swedish professional boxer. He held the World Boxing Association (WBA) Continental heavyweight title in 2017, the European Union heavyweight title in 2018, and the WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title in 2023. As of March 2024, Wallin is ranked #8 by the IBF.[3]

Amateur career

Wallin comes from a working-class family. His father and one of his brothers boxed, and he began boxing when he was 15.[4] As an amateur, he won the Swedish championship for beginners in 2008.[5] There were few heavyweights available to fight in Sweden, where professional boxing was banned until 2007,[6] so Wallin would often fight whoever and whenever in order to stay active.[4][6]

In 2009, Wallin won a bronze medal at the Swedish Youth National Championships in the heavyweight division,[7] and won the Ruska Tournament in the super-heavyweight division.[8] In 2010, Wallin won silver at the Swedish National Championships,[9] and silver at the Haringey Box Cup, losing to Anthony Joshua on points in the final.[10] He also won silver at the 2010 Ruska Tournament.[11]

Wallin lost to Joshua on points again in a Sweden–England dual match in Stockholm in January 2011.[12] He then won bronze at the Swedish National Championships in February,[13] silver at the Nordic Championships in March,[14] gold at the Algirdas Socikas Tournament in May,[15] gold at the Haringey Box Cup in June,[16] and gold at the Riga Open Tournament in December.[17]

In January 2012, Wallin defeated Frazer Clarke 32:11 in a Sweden–England dual match in Uppsala,[18] which qualified him for the 2012 European Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament.[19] Wallin won bronze at the Gee-Bee Tournament in March, losing to Magomed Omarov in the semi-finals.[20] At the European Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament in April in Trabzon, Turkey, he was eliminated in the round of 16 by Mihai Nistor.[21] Wallin finished with an amateur record of 34–12.[4]

Professional career

Early career

Wallin turned professional at the age of 22, in 2013. He trained under Torsten Schmitz for six months in Berlin, Germany, then moved to Copenhagen, Denmark, where he met former two-weight WBA world champion Joey Gamache, who became his trainer. Wallin followed Gamache to New York after Gamache left Denmark.[4]

Rise up the ranks

Wallin vs. Granat

After racking up a 19–0 record and winning the WBA Continental heavyweight title, Wallin defeated Adrian Granat (15–1, 14 KOs) to win the vacant Swedish and EBU European Union heavyweight titles in April 2018. Wallin won by unanimous decision 117–111, 117–112, and 118–110.[22] As a tall southpaw, he has also been a sparring partner for Anthony Joshua, Jarrell Miller and Adam Kownacki.[23]

Wallin vs. Kisner

Wallin then made his United States debut against Nick Kisner (21–4–1, 6 KOs) in April 2019, but the fight ended in a no contest after an accidental clash of heads opened a cut above Kisner's eye in the first round.[23] He was set to fight BJ Flores (34–4–1, 21 KOs) in July, but Flores was ruled medically unfit to fight on the day of the scheduled bout.[24][6]

Wallin vs. Fury

On 14 September 2019, Wallin faced the former unified heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury (28–0–1, 20 KOs) at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.[25] Wallin lost the fight by unanimous decision, with the scorecards reading 116–112, 117–111, and 118–110. He opened up a large cut above Fury's right eye in the third round with a left hand, which affected Fury's vision for the rest of the fight. A ringside doctor examined the cut in the sixth and deemed Fury able to continue. The examination by the doctor seemed to motivate Fury, as he poured on the pressure afterwards, hurting Wallin repeatedly with solid shots. Despite fatiguing in the second half of the fight, Wallin came back in the twelfth and landed a strong left hand which seemed to trouble Fury. Commentators stated Wallin's performance had defied the odds despite the loss, as he came in as an over 10 to 1 underdog.[26][27]

Wallin vs. Kauffman

Wallin was set to make his return to the ring against former WBA (Regular) heavyweight world champion Lucas Browne (29–2, 25 KOs) on 28 March 2020 at the Park Theater at the Park MGM in Las Vegas. The fight was scheduled for 10 rounds.[28] On 26 February, Wallin was removed from the card due to a foot injury and was replaced by Apti Davtaev.[29] He instead made his return against Travis Kauffman (32–3–0, 23 KOs) on 15 August 2020. Wallin dominated the fight, and Kauffman retired in the fifth round due to injury.[30]

Wallin vs. Breazeale

Wallin's next fight was against former IBF and WBC title challenger Dominic Breazeale (20–2–0, 18 KOs) on the undercard of Adrien Broner vs. Jovanie Santiago on 20 February 2021. The Swede was in control the whole fight and regularly found the target with his straight left hand, causing swelling around Breazeale's right eye. Wallin won a comfortable unanimous decision victory with scores of 117–111, 118–110 and 116–112.[31]

Cancelled Dillian Whyte fight

On 15 September 2021, it was reported that terms had been agreed between Wallin and the WBC interim heavyweight champion, Dillian Whyte (28–2, 19 KOs), for a bout on 30 October at the O2 Arena in London, England.[32] However, ten days before the fight was scheduled to occur, Whyte withdrew due to reportedly suffering a shoulder injury.[33]

After the fight against Whyte fell through, Wallin was left without an opponent. He next returned to the ring in February 2022, in a late-notice bout against Polish journeyman Kamil Sokołowski (11–24–2, 4 KOs).[34] Wallin defeated Sokołowski on points, then faced Rydell Booker (26–5–1, 13 KOs) on 26 May 2022 in Booker's home state of Michigan, easing to a decision victory.[35] Wallin had another "stay-busy" fight against Mexican heavyweight Helaman Olguin (9–4–1, 4 KOs) in January 2023. He recorded a decision win, improving his record to 25–1.[36][37]

Wallin vs. Gassiev

On 12 September 2023, it was announced that Wallin would face Murat Gassiev (30–1, 23 KOs), former IBF and WBA world cruiserweight champion, in a fight where the WBA Intercontinental heavyweight belt was at stake.[38] The bout took place in Antalya, Turkey on 30 September. Wallin was the busier of the two boxers, and won by split decision. Two judges scored it 115–113 for Wallin, while the third saw it 117–111 for Gassiev. The 117–111 scorecard for Gassiev was classed as "questionable" by media outlet Bad Left Hook.[39] Wallin was the betting underdog against Gassiev, whose only prior loss had been against Oleksandr Usyk, and the victory was described as the biggest of Wallin's career to date.[40]

Wallin vs. Joshua

Main article: Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin

On 15 November 2023, it was announced that Wallin would face former unified WBA, IBF, WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (26–3, 23 KOs) on 23 December 2023. The fight took place at Riyadh's Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia.[41] Wallin found himself perpetually on the defensive, unable to penetrate Joshua's formidable jab and right hand, which effectively neutralized his offensive capabilities. The duel turned decisively in round 5 when Joshua unleashed a devastating punch that sent Wallin reeling backward, but Wallin displayed remarkable resilience, hanging on until the end of the round.[42] Before the start of round 6, Wallin's coach Gamache made the decision to stop the fight, resulting in a corner retirement win for Joshua.[43]

Wallin vs. Chisora

Wallin is scheduled to face Derek Chisora on February 8, 2025 in Manchester, England.[44][45][46]

Personal life

Wallin was born in Sundsvall, Sweden, but has lived in New York City since 2017.[47][48] Wallin's father died of a sudden heart attack shortly before the announcement of Wallin's fight with Tyson Fury. Wallin said his father, an amateur boxer and part-time trainer, motivated him to get into boxing, and hoped to use his father's death as extra motivation to upset the odds and defeat Fury,[47][49] similar to Buster Douglas's losing his mother before fighting Mike Tyson.[23] Despite ultimately losing the bout, Wallin's performance was praised. Fury said in his in-ring interview, "Big congratulations to Otto and I just wanna say rest in peace to his father. I know he would be very, very proud of his performance."[26][50]

Professional boxing record

30 fights 27 wins 2 losses
By knockout 15 1
By decision 12 1
No contests 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
30 Win 27–2 (1) Onoriode Ehwarieme KO 1 (8), 0:48 26 Jul 2024 Tropicana Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
29 Loss 26–2 (1) Anthony Joshua RTD 5 (12), 3:00 23 Dec 2023 Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
28 Win 26–1 (1) Murat Gassiev SD 12 30 Sep 2023 Regnum Carya Hotel, Antalya, Turkey Won WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title
27 Win 25–1 (1) Helaman Olguin UD 8 27 Jan 2023 Castleton Banquet & Conference Center, Windham, New Hampshire, US
26 Win 24–1 (1) Rydell Booker UD 10 26 May 2022 Ford Community Center, Dearborn, Michigan, US
25 Win 23–1 (1) Kamil Sokołowski PTS 8 5 Feb 2022 Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff, Wales
24 Win 22–1 (1) Dominic Breazeale UD 12 20 Feb 2021 Mohegan Sun Arena, Montville, Connecticut, US
23 Win 21–1 (1) Travis Kauffman TKO 5 (10), 2:32 15 Aug 2020 Mohegan Sun Arena, Montville, Connecticut, US
22 Loss 20–1 (1) Tyson Fury UD 12 14 Sep 2019 T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada, US
21 NC 20–0 (1) Nick Kisner NC 1 (10), 3:00 13 Apr 2019 Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US No contest after Kisner cut from accidental headbutt
20 Win 20–0 Adrian Granat UD 12 21 Apr 2018 Gärdehov, Sundsvall, Sweden Won vacant European Union and Swedish heavyweight titles
19 Win 19–0 Srđan Govedarica KO 3 (8), 1:01 27 Jan 2018 Arēna Rīga, Rīga, Latvia
18 Win 18–0 Gianluca Mandras TKO 5 (10), 1:18 22 Apr 2017 Sundsvalls Sporthall, Sundsvall, Sweden Won vacant WBA Continental heavyweight title
17 Win 17–0 Raphael Zumbano UD 10 3 Dec 2016 Arena Armeec, Sofia, Bulgaria
16 Win 16–0 Osborne Machimana UD 8 10 Sep 2016 Hovet, Stockholm, Sweden
15 Win 15–0 Irineu Beato Costa Junior TKO 3 (8), 0:35 23 Apr 2016 Hovet, Stockholm, Sweden
14 Win 14–0 Samir Kurtagic UD 6 19 Dec 2015 Rosvalla Arena, Nyköping, Sweden
13 Win 13–0 Vladimir Goncharov UD 6 19 Sep 2015 Rosvalla Arena, Nyköping, Sweden
12 Win 12–0 Oleksiy Mazikin KO 2 (8), 2:26 20 Jun 2015 Super Arena, Ballerup, Denmark
11 Win 11–0 Beka Lobjanidze KO 4 (8), 0:52 2 May 2015 Frederiksberghallen, Copenhagen, Denmark
10 Win 10–0 David Gegeshidze TKO 2 (8), 2:32 14 Mar 2015 Super Arena, Ballerup, Denmark
9 Win 9–0 Ivica Perkovic RTD 4 (8), 3:00 6 Dec 2014 Große EWE Arena, Oldenburg, Germany
8 Win 8–0 Vjekoslav Bajic TKO 2 (8) 29 Nov 2014 Falkoner Center, Frederiksberg, Denmark
7 Win 7–0 Maksym Pedyura TKO 4 (6), 2:50 30 Aug 2014 Gerry Weber Stadion, Halle, Germany
6 Win 6–0 Ladislav Kovarik TKO 4 (4), 1:00 15 Feb 2014 MusikTeatret, Albertslund, Denmark
5 Win 5–0 Ferenc Zsalek PTS 4 25 Jan 2014 Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle, Stuttgart, Germany
4 Win 4–0 Tomas Mrazek PTS 4 23 Nov 2013 Stechert Arena, Bamberg, Germany
3 Win 3–0 Gabor Farkas TKO 3 (4), 2:53 26 Oct 2013 EWE Arena, Oldenburg, Germany
2 Win 2–0 Valeri Semiskur TKO 2 (4), 0:55 7 Sep 2013 Arena Nord, Frederikshavn, Denmark
1 Win 1–0 Roman Cherney KO 1 (4), 2:57 15 Jun 2013 NRGi Arena, Aarhus, Denmark

References

  1. ^ a b "BoxRec: Otto Wallin". boxrec.com. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  2. ^ "Usyk vs. Huck: Otto Wallin vs. Timur Stark Added to the Card". 21 August 2017.
  3. ^ "Heavyweight Rankings & Boxing Champions - Top 15 WBC/WBA/IBF/WBO". Box.Live. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
  4. ^ a b c d "A prospect to watch: Otto Wallin". The Ring. 2019-03-11. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  5. ^ "Wallin tar sikte på OS". st.nu (in Swedish). 2012-01-21. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  6. ^ a b c "Tyson Fury vs Otto Wallin? Everything you need to know about the unbeaten Swedish contender". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  7. ^ "Sweden2009j". amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  8. ^ "Ruska Tournament 2009". amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  9. ^ "Swedish Nationals 2010". amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  10. ^ "Haringey Intl 2010". amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  11. ^ "Ruska Tournament 2010". amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  12. ^ "Duals Sweden-England - Stockholm (SWE) - 2010". amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  13. ^ "Swedish National Championships - Sundsvall" (PDF). 2011-02-03. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  14. ^ "Nordic Championships - Lahti, Finland" (PDF). 2011-03-26. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  15. ^ "15.Algirdas Socikas Tournament - Kaunas, Lithuania" (PDF). 2011-05-26. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  16. ^ "International Tournament - Haringey (London), England" (PDF). 2011-06-16. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  17. ^ "Riga Open 2011". amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  18. ^ "Duals Sweden-England - Uppsala (SWE) - 2012". amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  19. ^ "Boxningåret 2012 enligt Olof Johansson – Fighter Magazine". www.fightermag.se. 6 January 2013. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  20. ^ "Gee-Bee Tournament - 2012". amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  21. ^ "Ottos dröm om OS knockades". st.nu (in Swedish). 2012-04-16. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  22. ^ "Otto Wallin Decisions Adrian Granat, Captures The EU Title". BoxingScene.com. 21 April 2018. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  23. ^ a b c "Fueled by loss, Otto Wallin plans to shock Tyson Fury". The Ring. 2019-08-07. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  24. ^ "Otto Wallin vs. BJ Flores is Off: Flores Not Medically Cleared". BoxingScene.com. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  25. ^ Davies, Gareth A. (2019-08-13). "Tyson Fury confirms Setember [sic] bout against Otto Wallin in Las Vegas". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  26. ^ a b Taylor, Declan; Graham, Chris (2019-09-15). "Tyson Fury defeats Otto Wallin on points in bloody Las Vegas battle". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  27. ^ Graham, Bryan Armen (2019-09-15). "Tyson Fury survives Otto Wallin scare to stay on course for Wilder rematch". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  28. ^ "Nery, Wallin set returns for March card in Vegas". ESPN. 2020-02-08. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
  29. ^ "Apti Davtaev vs. Lucas Browne on Showtime, Otto Wallin Injured". BoxingScene.com. 26 February 2020. Retrieved 2020-02-29.
  30. ^ "Photos: Otto Wallin Dominates Travis Kauffman, TKO in Five". BoxingScene.com. 16 August 2020. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  31. ^ "Tyson Fury's former opponent Otto Wallin defeats Dominic Breazeale by unanimous decision". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
  32. ^ Idec, Keith (15 September 2021). "Dillian Whyte, Otto Wallin Agree To Terms For October 30 Fight At O2 Arena In London". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  33. ^ "Whyte v Wallin off because of injury". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  34. ^ Michael Benson (2022-02-02). "Otto Wallin in surprise 'off-TV' fight on Chris Eubank Jr vs Liam Williams card". talkSPORT. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  35. ^ "Otto Wallin says Tyson Fury 'doesn't want to fight' as he eases to victory over Rydell Booker". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  36. ^ "Otto Wallin Hopes To Secure a Big Fight After Stay-Busy Return - Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  37. ^ Salazar, Francisco (2023-01-28). "Otto Wallin defeats Helaman Olguin by unanimous decision in eight-rounder". The Ring. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  38. ^ Salazar, Francisco (2023-09-12). "Heavyweight contender Otto Wallin to face Murat Gassiev on September 30". The Ring. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  39. ^ "Otto Wallin wins split decision over Murat Gassiev in heavyweight fight". www.badlefthook.com. 2023-09-30. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  40. ^ Lindkvist, Tobias (2023-10-04). "WBA Inter-Continental champion Otto Wallin: "Years of frustration leaves your body"". Frontkick.online. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  41. ^ "Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder to fight on same card in Saudi Arabia". November 15, 2023.
  42. ^ Lee, Alexander K. (2023-12-23). "Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin: Live round-by-round updates". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  43. ^ Ferguson, Kerr (2023-12-23). "Anthony Joshua Batters And Stops Otto Wallin In Five". boxing-social.com. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  44. ^ "Chisora confirmed to fight Wallin in February". ESPN.com. 27 November 2024.
  45. ^ Iskenderov, Parviz (28 November 2024). "Derek Chisora faces Otto Wallin in Manchester, England in February". FIGHTMAG.
  46. ^ "Derek Chisora vs Otto Wallin: Heavyweight fight agreed for February in Manchester". BBC Sport. 27 November 2024.
  47. ^ a b "Recent Death Of Otto Wallin's Father Fueling Him For Fury Fight". BoxingScene.com. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  48. ^ "Wallin out to shock Fury, put Sweden back on boxing map". Associated Press. 2019-09-10. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  49. ^ "Tyson Fury v Otto Wallin: Underdog to draw on loss of father for inspiration". 2019-09-09. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  50. ^ "Tyson Fury vs. Otto Wallin fight results: 'Gypsy King' survives massive cut to earn decision win". CBS Sports. 15 September 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
Vacant
Title last held by
Ruslan Chagaev 		WBA Continental (Europe)
heavyweight champion
22 April 2017 – 30 June 2017 		Vacant
Title next held by
Alexander Povetkin
Vacant
Title last held by
Agit Kabayel 		EBU European Union
heavyweight champion
21 April 2018 – present 		Incumbent
Quelle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Wallin