British – Nigerian boxer Anthony Joshua, will face Otto Wallin in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday.A win will be the final piece in the jigsaw to rebuild Joshua – with the dangling carrot being a blockbuster bout against long-time rival Deontay Wilder, or a shot at a vacant world title.
A loss to Swede Wallin, however, would scupper those plans. There is a rematch clause in place so it would not quite be the final nail in the coffin of Joshua’s career but even his most hardened supporters would struggle to fight his corner.
On the surface, a points win over durable American Franklin and a laboured one-punch knockout against a credible yet unthreatening Helenius is not overly impressive.
But context is key and there are positives to take from both wins – not least the time spent in the ring.
Joshua has kept to his promise of fighting three times in 2023. That level of activity, particularly for a top-tier heavyweight, is rare and the last time he did so in a calendar year was 2016.
“The reason I’m staying active is because everything else in my life has to come second and fighting has to come first,” he says.
Joshua can perhaps be forgiven for boxing tentatively against Franklin. After back-to-back defeats, AJ’s career was on the line.
The 6ft 6in Helenius posed a different proposition and Joshua was booed at London’s O2 Arena before uncoupling from the weight on his shoulders and recording a first stoppage win in almost three years.
“By the end of 2023 he’ll have had three wins in 12 months against decent opposition,” adds promoter Eddie Hearn. “He can sit down at Christmas dinner and be very happy with his year.”
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