Even in defeat to Tyson Fury, Otto Wallin’s stock as a fighter grew.

A win over a former unified world titleholder could even put Wallin in a position to fight the best in 2024.

Wallin will face Anthony Joshua on Saturday night at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 12-round bout will headline a stacked ‘Day of Reckoning’ card that will stream live on DAZN Pay-Per-View (11 a.m. ET/ 8 a.m. PT).

The southpaw Wallin (26-1, 14 knockouts), who is originally from Sundsvall, Sweden and now resides in New York City, has come a long way since a close decision loss to Fury in September 2019. Wallin was a virtual unknown, with his only notable fight being a no-contest against Nick Kisner five months before the Fury fight.

Since the Fury fight, Wallin has won his last six fights, including victories over Travis Kauffman and Dominic Breazeale. In his last bout on September 30, Wallin won a hard-fought split decision over Murat Gassiev in an action fight.

Wallin hopes to carry momentum from the Gassiev fight into Saturday’s clash against Joshua, feeling confident he can put forth a solid effort and come out victorious.

“It was a great fight to have and I thought I won almost every round (against Gassiev),” Wallin exclusively told The Ring on Tuesday afternoon. “(I) went the full 12 rounds with Gassiev without getting hit much. This quick turnaround is going to benefit me on Saturday night.”

Joshua (26-3, 23 KOs) has put behind back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk last year, winning his last two fights. In his last bout on August 12, Joshua scored a vicious knockout win over former contender Robert Helenius.

The 33-year-old has given credit to Joshua, describing him as a very good fighter. Joshua recently made the switch to trainer Derrick James, who also trains Errol Spence, Jr. and lightweight Frank Martin, but Wallin is confident he has the skill-set to defeat Joshua.

“My trainer, Joey Gamache, has studied a lot on Anthony,” said Wallin, who is managed by Jolene Mizzone. “Not just because this fight came up, but (he) has been watching him for years, and then myself and Joey spoke about (what he has learned throughout the years).”

The Joshua-Wallin fight is a clash between heavyweights in the top-10. Joshua and Wallin are rated at No. 2 and 10, respectively, by The Ring at heavyweight.

Wallin was placed in The Ring ratings after the win over Gassiev. A win over Joshua would solidify his standing as a heavyweight and could put him in a position to face the winner of the fight between Fury and Usyk, which will likely take place in the Spring.

“I believe I will be a top 5 heavyweight after beating Anthony,” said Wallin. “A win would mean everything to me. I have worked my whole career for a fight like this. I think this should be put right in line to fight the winner of Fury-Usyk.”

Fury is coming off a split-decision win over MMA fighter Francis Ngannou on October 28.

Wallin is hopeful a fight against Fury will take place, should he defeat Anthony. Wallin has come a long way and has become a better overall fighter, with an improved skill-set, since the Fury fight over four years ago.

Although he welcomes any fight against the upper echelon of the heavyweight division, Wallin is confident in what he has learned, in and out of the ring.

“I have learned a lot from that (Fury) fight, inside and outside the ring. I know I can stand in there and win against the top heavyweight fighters and I have also learned that having the right team around you matters.

“A win would also be big in Sweden, where I’m from. When I first started boxing, (the sport) was not legal in Sweden. Winning this fight will help to put Sweden on the boxing map.

“It’s time for me to go out and win.”

Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at [email protected]

Follow @FSalazarBoxing