Last seen being manhandled and stopped by Anthony Joshua, Swedish heavyweight contender Otto Wallin will return to action later this month in Atlantic City. The tall southpaw, beaten only by Joshua and Tyson Fury, will face potential danger man Onoriode Ehwarieme of Nigeria. The fight, scheduled for eight rounds, is one Wallin hopes will lead him back into another big fight.
36-year-old Ehwarieme, 20-4(19), is a big dude (6’7”) who can punch, yet “Godzilla,” as the Nigerian is known, is coming off two back-to-back stoppage defeats. The term ‘chinny banger’ could perhaps be appropriate for Ehwarieme. All four of Ehwarieme’s losses have come via stoppage, with him being stopped by Rodney Hernandez, Zhan Kossobustkiy, Bakhodir Jalolov, and, last time out in April of this year, Deontae Pettigrew.
A close look at Ehwarieme’s record shows that he has zero wins over notable opponents. He has beaten no less than 12 fighters who had a losing record when entering the ring with him. A former Olympian, Ehwarieme was matched pretty soft throughout his first 18 or so fights, and he lost when he did step up.
Wallin should win this one with relative ease on paper, but how much of a dent in his confidence did that one-sided stoppage loss to AJ make? Wallin gave Fury a tough time, taking Fury all the way and leaving Tyson with a badly cut eye. But since then, Wallin has done okay but not great, his big win being his decision win over Murat Gassiev in September of 2023. There is, of course, no shame in losing to Joshua, a genuine power-packed heavyweight, and maybe 33-year-old Wallin can bounce back and work his way into another big opportunity.
Currently 26-2(14), Wallin can say he has been beaten only by two of the best big men on the planet. Wallin should be able to get his first win of 2024 after a handful of rounds. Look for Wallin to stop Ehwarieme inside four or five rounds on July 26th.
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