Anthony Joshua dominates Otto Wallin for crushing five-round victory | Boxing News

Anthony Joshua continued his quest to return to the highest of the heavyweight division with a dominant five-round win over Otto Wallin.

Joshua busted up and damage Sweden’s Wallin, whose nook pulled him out after 5 punishing rounds.

Wallin gave Tyson Fury a aggressive struggle again in 2019 however he couldn’t deal with Joshua.

Joshua boxed with strong, technical talent however was attempting to find a end from the opening bell.

He stamped his authority on each spherical, and significantly damage Wallin with a hefty proper cross-left hook mixture within the fifth spherical.

Clearly marked up and broken, Wallin was retired on his stool after the top of the fifth spherical.

Story of the struggle

Joshua, who from 2016 to 2022 fought solely in world championship contests, was within the unaccustomed place of getting his third consecutive non-title bout in opposition to Wallin.

After victories over Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius earlier this yr, Joshua was seeking to work his means again to championship class.

Within the background forward of this struggle, his representatives had been in talks for a possible two-fight take care of Deontay Wilder in 2024.

These plans had been scuppered when Joseph Parker tore up the script, upsetting Wilder with a large unanimous determination win on the identical invoice in Riyadh.

Joshua didn’t lose his focus although. From the opening bell he labored with severe intent.

Shifting out to the centre of the ring, Joshua pawed together with his jab however was quickly casting out proper crosses.

A thumping backhand crashed into Wallin’s abdomen, a physique shot that he felt.

Joshua struck a proper to the top. He was sharper on his ft too, darting out of vary earlier than Wallin might attain him with an try to counter.

Joshua crunched a proper hook in, that Wallin simply caught on a glove.

Wallin tapped in his jab, attempting to make use of his southpaw stance to frustrate Joshua.

However that did not work for him. Joshua despatched one other straight proper to the physique, earlier than firing a brace of punches to the top.

A proper scraped throughout the facet of Wallin’s head after which a giant left despatched the Swede stumbling away to the facet.

To start the fifth spherical Joshua caught in laborious photographs, to underscore his near-total management. Quickly Wallin’s ft appeared unsure beneath him.

AJ hinted that he’d throw his proper to the top, and heaved it to the physique.

Then he linked with a ferocious two-punch mixture. A cross caught Wallin establishing an enormous left hook that damage the Swede.

Wallin staggered away and Joshua was on him, attacking ferociously.

He did harm that noticed a dejected Wallin return to his nook, the place his coach didn’t let him again out for one more spherical.

‘One other day within the workplace’

That was a job nicely accomplished by Joshua, who was working with one other new coach for the primary time on this struggle.

After dropping to Oleksandr Usyk, Joshua left Rob McCracken to hyperlink up with Robert Garcia. His first two fights of this yr had been with coach Derrick James however for this struggle he introduced in Ben Davison, who skilled Fury for a number of fights together with his bout with Wallin.

“I can not grade my efficiency. My efficiency crew will choose me and the followers at dwelling may have loads to say, so I am going to go away it as much as them,” Joshua mentioned afterwards.

“Not a throwback struggle, simply one other struggle. It was simply one other day within the workplace.

“All I wish to be is victorious for so long as I can.”