Otto Wallin feels the benefit of time as he prepares to spoil Derek Chisora’s UK swansong

Otto Wallin finishes his chicken skewers, rice, bread and broccoli, and is asked whether instead he fancied fish and chips, that well-known English delicacy, having been in the UK for 48 hours.

“Maybe on Sunday,” joked the Swedish heavyweight, who is in town to fight Derek Chisora on Saturday (February 8) at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester.

The fight marks the 49th of Chisora’s career and while the event is seen as part of a victory lap of sorts for Chisora, as he aims for 50 pro fights for retirement, the contest represents the opportunity for Wallin to ease himself back into contention.

Having boxed Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, in Las Vegas and Saudi Arabia respectively, Wallin is no stranger to the big occasion, and he expects victory over Chisora to take him back to it. 

He has prepared well and he has had time.

“We got a lot of good sparring. We had a lot of time [to prepare] for this fight so I think I heard about it and we got the offer like 10 or 11 weeks out, so that’s a lot more than I had when I fought Fury and Joshua,” said the 27-2 (15 KOs) Wallin. “So that’s good. I feel like we had a good amount of time to get ready for the fight. And then I think the fight is very important in the context of my career. This is a really important fight and if I win this one, I can go on to fight bigger guys in bigger fights. And if I lose, it’s going to be really hard. I think it’s a really important fight.”

Wallin is not without name value. In 2019, he pushed a bloodied Tyson Fury hard, although came out passively against an assertive Joshua and paid the price more recently.

It represents aggressive matchmaking for Chisora in what is billed as his final fight in the UK.

The 34-year-old Wallin, who trains out of New York, is not paying attention to the noise, however. He is used to fighting on the road. His best win came in Turkey, when he beat Murat Gassiev in Antalya in September of 2023, three months before Joshua defeated him, and his last contest was in Atlantic City, where he stopped Onoriode Ehwarieme in a round last July.

Being on enemy territory is nothing new.

“I haven’t thought so much about that or about him [Chisora winding down his career] or being away from home,” Wallin added. “I’m used to that. I mean, I haven’t had many fights in Sweden anyway so I’m always really in people’s hometowns. But I think that regarding the pressure, I prepare really hard and just try to take pride in my work. And I know when I step into the ring that I’ve done everything I can to win. So then it’s just to go out there and do your absolute best and hopefully it goes well.”

Chisora emerged from the trenches with Joe Joyce last year with a win, but Wallin says that while he is prepared to fight, and fight hard, that is not where he plans on entertaining the enigmatic Londoner. 

“That’s his style, really, to be in wars and be in really tough fights,” Wallin continued. “And I’m sure that he’s going to come out aggressively and try to get to me and try to make it a real dogfight. So that’s probably more to his advantage. I’m ready for it, but I’ve got to try to use what I’m good at and use my height and reach and make it so that it’s a fight that suits my style better.”
Is he going to be the man that makes Chisora look every one of his 41 years? 

“We’ll see, we’ll see,” said Wallin. “I’m prepared for a really tough fight. I know Chisora is always aggressive, like we said, always in wars. So I’ve got to be smart.”

Wallin thinks he will have to open up and use his power to deter Chisora, but also believes success will come from boxing smoothly.
“I think it’s a mix. I mean you can always box but you’ve got to get some respect too. I’ve got to let some shots go and sit down on them to gain his respect and to show him that he can’t just walk in on me.”

There is clearly a cautious respect for Chisora, but at the same time, Wallin knows Fury and Joshua are superior fighters. But the Joyce win was significant. Some contend it made Chisora a top 10 heavyweight again.

“I think Chisora is an experienced guy. He’s a veteran. I take him very seriously,” said the Swede.

“He’s not the best I’ve fought but he’s among the best for sure. I mean he’s not as good as Joshua and Fury but in my career he’s right below.”

The two boxers have met face-to-face, too, when the fight was first announced, and Wallin knows this week that Chisora will try to play mind games, as he often does.

“Yeah, he’s an interesting guy,” Wallin conceded. “I think that he’s a good talker. He tries to get in your head, so [I’ll] try not to pay too much attention to him.”

And while Wallin is not dining out on fish and chips pre-fight, he knows that Chisora likes to share a Five Guys with his opponents after they’ve done battle.

“I see that, yeah,” added Wallin. “I haven’t thought so much about it but I’ve just got to win the fight. That’s the most important thing.”