Joshua insists he hasn’t peaked ahead of ‘phenomenal’ fight card in Saudi Arabia｜boxing

Anthony Joshua insisted he’s not past his peak after the former unified world heavyweight champion's third fight of 2023 - against Swede Otto Wallin - was announced on Wednesday as part of a “phenomenal” fight card to be hosted in Saudi Arabia on 23rd December.

Joshua shares the bill with former world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, who has long been mooted as a potential opponent, with the American facing former WBO world champion Joseph Parker.

If Joshua and Wilder both win, they could fight each other in 2024, which is something that Saudi Arabia’s Chairman of the General Authority for Entertainment said he would like to see when speaking at a lavish media conference in London on Wednesday.

On the undercard, WBA light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol defends his title against Brit Lyndon Arthur, fellow Englishman Ellis Zorro will challenge WBC cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia, while British heavyweight Daniel Dubois will face American Jarrell Miller, whose 2019 world title fight against Joshua was scuppered by the first of two doping bans.

The event was intended as a battle for the undisputed world heavyweight title between current WBC belt holder Tyson Fury and IBF, IBO, WBA and WBO titlist Oleksandr Usyk.

However, Fury's difficult encounter with MMA star Francis Ngannou in October derailed those plans, pushing the bout back to next February.