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Home » Otto Wallin forced to settle for less after chasing Tyson Fury, Dillian Whyte

Otto Wallin forced to settle for less after chasing Tyson Fury, Dillian Whyte

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Otto Wallin has to settle for an also-ran interim fight after previously signing to fight Dillian Whyte and chasing a Tyson Fury rematch.

Whyte called off their fight, citing injury, before agreeing on a mandatory battle with Fury at Wembley. Although present at the contest, Wallin was more of a frustrated spectator.

With his career at the very top level stalling, promoter Dmitriy Salita has confirmed Wallin’s plans to fight this month.

“A 10-round heavyweight main event has been added to Salita Promotions’ special Memorial Day weekend-kickoff Detroit Brawl event.

“WBC number eleven-rated heavyweight Otto Wallin (23-1, 14 KOs) of Sweden will face Detroit’s own Rydell Booker (26-5-1, 13 KOs).

“The fight happens on Thursday, May 26, 2022, in the Lincoln Ballroom of the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn, Michigan,” said Salita Promotions.

Wallin hails from Sundsvall, Sweden. He’s an athletic southpaw heavyweight who does everything well.

The 31-year-old Wallin made the world stage and captured headlines in 2019 when he waged a thrilling war with linear world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and came extremely close to scoring a monumental stoppage upset.

Then unknown and a 10-1 underdog, Wallin took the fight to Fury early and cut the superstar Englishman for 47 stitches with a surprise left in the third round.

A nail-biting back-and-forth war of attrition that Fury eventually pulled out via close, controversial unanimous decision.

Otto Wallin Rydell Booker

OTTO WALLIN

Wallin now lives and trains in New York under the tutelage of famous former two-division champion Joey Gamache at Mendez Boxing in Manhattan.

He captured the EBU European Union Heavyweight Title with a 12-round unanimous decision victory over Adrian Granat in April 2018. He has also held the WBA Continental Heavyweight Championship. Wallin was last seen in February of this year, scoring a unanimous decision over Polish veteran Kamil Sokolowski.

“Training is going really well,” said Wallin. “I’ve been getting a lot of work in over the last few months.

“I saw Booker when he fought Franklin, and I know he’s an experienced and skilled boxer. He’s not someone I will underestimate, but this is a fight I need to win.

“I appreciate my promoter, Salita Promotions, keeping me active. This fight is the first time I will fight twice in a year since 2019. I’m looking to put on a good performance.”

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