Otto Wallin hopes his best days are in front of him as he looks for a fresh start later in the year.
Wallin, a promotional free agent, last boxed on December 23, having been withdrawn by his trainer Joey Gamache after five rounds against the impressive Anthony Joshua.
Joshua looked good, but Wallin was disappointed with what happened and took the defeat hard.
“It was a tough loss,” Wallin said. “It was tough. I felt pretty down after, thinking about things. But I had a few weeks off, then I started training again, feeling better and I feel like I understand where I’m at. Obviously, it was a big step back. I felt I was going to win the fight, and it was a tough loss for me.”
Wallin, 33, a southpaw Swede based in New York, is looking to get back on track in 2024, and he is looking for both activity and big fights.
“The plan is for me to fight again in the summer, and my management, Fighters First Management, has just started working with a promoter in Texas,” Wallin said. “They’re going to have their first show there in late March – March 30, I think – and then they’re going to have another date there in the summer. I’m supposed to have another fight there, get back in the ring, and get a win, and hopefully I get something bigger in the fall.”
Wallin had gone into the Joshua fight full of confidence. He was coming off a big win over Murat Gassiev and had been a handful for Tyson Fury back in 2019.
Wallin, 26-2 (14 KOs), credits Joshua, an old rival from the amateurs, with both his December victory and the manner of it.
“Joshua did a great job,” Wallin said, “and I think there’s still a lot of fight left in me, and there’s still a lot of good fights out there for me.
“Everything I said before the fight was true. [Joshua] hadn’t looked that good in his last few fights; kind of insecure and not sure about himself. But when he fought me, he came out aggressive. They had a good game plan, and I gained a lot of respect for him. He’s a good fighter.”
Wallin has subsequently reassessed his own career, the heavyweight landscape, and his position in it.
“I’m feeling good,” Wallin said, winding down after a session back in the gym. “I’m just kind of realizing where I’m at right now. I don’t think I’m close to any title fights, but I want to get back in there, get a few wins, and things can change quick. Look at a guy like Joseph Parker. He got stopped by [Joe] Joyce and now he’s back, he beat [Deontay] Wilder and now he’s got another big fight. There are a lot of good fights out there for me.”
The top of the division is packed full of big names, including the two Wallin has already faced. Although he stopped short of calling anyone out, or naming names of potential opponents, he wants to box at the highest level again.
“I haven’t thought too much about names right now, but I feel like I’m a top-10 guy, so I feel like I’m ready to fight almost anyone,” Wallin said. “I just want good fights.
“I’m 33 now, so I feel like I’m ready for big fights and capitalizing on the division that’s buzzing right now. And a lot of good things are happening in Saudi Arabia [where Wallin fought Joshua], but I haven’t really thought about specific names.”
All eyes will be on the heavyweight division on Friday night, when Joshua faces Francis Ngannou and Parker challenges Zhilei Zhang on a bill dubbed “Knockout Chaos”. Wallin made no secret of who he hopes wins the main event.
“I’m really hoping that Joshua knocks him out, to be honest,” Wallin said. “It will be better for me, I think. And I think Joshua can. I hope Joshua comes out being aggressive and asserting himself. We know Ngannou can punch, so he’s going to be dangerous, and I think if Joshua comes out hesitant, that could be a problem, because Ngannou can gain confidence.
“But if Joshua can come out and really take charge, I think he can knock him out.”
Some might feel Zhang-Parker is the superior fight, and Wallin is intrigued by that one.
“I like that fight, I think it’s a great fight – and it’s great they made the fight,” Wallin said. “I feel like I’m favoring Parker, to be honest. I think Joyce was the perfect fight for Zhang. Obviously Parker got stopped by Joyce, but I think that I’m favoring Parker. He’s a fighter with great momentum, and I think the problem Joyce gave Parker was he threw too many punches, so he kind of broke down – but I don’t see Zhang throwing as much. I think that’s a good thing for Parker.”
Former WBO heavyweight champion Parker, a year younger than Wallin, is someone from whom the rebuilding Swede is now drawing inspiration. Parker lost to Joyce in a dramatic fight, but came back and boxed three times in 10 months, stayed in the gym and learned more under his coach Andy Lee. Then he stunned Wilder on points to cap off his return to the big time.
“I think what’s hurt me a little bit the last few years is, I didn’t get those good fights to improve,” Wallin said. “I had two good fights last year – Gassiev and Joshua, obviously – but I would like to be consistent at that level, and then I think I can really improve.”