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Joshua, Wilder, Bivol, Opetaia all on big December 23rd card


WelshDevilRob

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Announced earlier today in London. Most of the fighters attended the press conference. Some surprise match-ups and plenty of Heavyweights.

The PPV/broadcast details weren't announced but the card is official. Will take place at the Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The Line-up

Anthony Joshua (26-3, 23 KOs) vs. Otto Wallin (26-1, 14 KOs)
Deontay Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs) vs. Joseph Parker (33-3, 23 KOs)
Daniel Dubois (19-2, 18 KOs) vs. Jarrell Miller (26-0-1, 22 KOs)
Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) vs. Lyndon Arthur (23-1, 16 KOs)
Jai Opetaia (23-0, 18 KOs) vs. Ellis Zorro (17-0, 7 KOs)
Frank Sanchez (23-0, 16 KOs) vs. Junior Fa (20-2, 11 KOs)
Filip Hrgovic (16-0, 13 KOs) vs. Mark De Mori (41-2-2, 36 KOs)
Arslanbek Makhmudov (18-0, 17 KOs) vs. Agit Kabayel (23-0, 15 KOs)

Joshua and Wilder on huge December 23rd card
https://www.ringnews24.com/2023/11/15/joshua-and-wilder-on-huge-december-23rd-card/

Riyadh Season Hosts the “Day of Reckoning”
https://www.ringnews24.com/2023/11/15/riyadh-season-hosts-the-day-of-reckoning/

Thoughts on the card and the match-ups?

Joshua Wilder.jpeg

Edited by WelshDevilRob
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Well that's about as stacked a card as we've seen in a while but it didn't have to be. I can think of a better opponent for just about all the A-side fighters here, including guys in separate fights who should be fighting each other. Another promoter overstuffing his stable while engaging in the marination game.

As for the matchups, Wallin is a mere placeholder opponent for AJ; Wallin already lost to Fury and was gifted a win over Gassiev. Parker's a deserving opponent based on his accomplishments but don't see him troubling Wilder. Once Bivol wipes the floor with Arthur, Beterbiev-Bivol please. Dubois-Miller is an eliminator (for the loser). Miller's a huge question mark. He's huge, period; what kind of shape will he be in? We've seen the highs and lows of Dubois; if Miller isn't fully committed, Dubois wins. Stay busy/showcase fights for Sanchez, Hrgovic and Makhmudov. I'd say the same for Opetaia but he is  defending a world title. Biding our time til we get Opetaia vs Billam-Smith.

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Most of this card is just a waste of time,  with the possible exception of  Opetaia  (as you say)   and AJ - Wallin.  

 

Wallin has issues, but at his best he is crafty and dangerous.  

And AJ is, of course,  just above average.

A Wallin win would not surprise me,  and that would make for a mildly interesting situation for the division.  Sort of.

 

 

Sigh .......

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On 11/16/2023 at 8:41 PM, Cableaddict said:

Most of this card is just a waste of time,  with the possible exception of  Opetaia  (as you say)   and AJ - Wallin.  

 

Wallin has issues, but at his best he is crafty and dangerous.  

And AJ is, of course,  just above average.

A Wallin win would not surprise me,  and that would make for a mildly interesting situation for the division.  Sort of.

--- Just above average the 2x unified champ defending his titles multiple x a far sight better than anyone else in boxing, so yes, that wouldn't surprise me that you rank him just above average.

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Currently watching the workouts. Each man doing an interview with DAZN after. Exciting seeing all these boxers.

Six of the Heavyweights are in the Ring magazine Top 10. Then you've got the sensational Jai Opeteia, who is one of the most menacing fighters that I've seen in years. Plus, P4Per Dimitry Bivol.

The PPV is cheap - only £20 in the UK. Card starts early at 4pm. Saturday can't come fast enough, am excited for a card which hasn't happened for a long time.

2️⃣ - Anthony Joshua
3️⃣ - Deontay Wilder
5️⃣ - Joseph Parker
6️⃣ - Filip Hrgovic
9️⃣ - Frank Sanchez
🔟 - Otto Wallin
Six of the Ring Magazine's top 10 heavyweights fight in Saudi this Saturday 🥊 Will there be any movements come the new year? 👀 #DayOfReckoning

RingJoshua.png

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Wilder was shockingly bad, even by his own low standards. He did virtually nothing and thought he'd won the fight. I will give him credit for his chin though, a lot of fighters would have been on the mat from the punches Parker landed.

 

Joshua looked a lot better than we've seen recently. We'll see if he picks up the IBF strap in 2024. 3 Time?

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All I got from this boxing event is that is Tyson Fury actually very good? Parker done an absolute job on Wilder, never looked uncomfortable whereas Fury was in uncomfortable positions at some point in all 3 fights with Wilder. And AJ never came out of 2nd gear and absolutely destroyed Wallin, whereas Fury went to hell and back against Wallin.

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Wilder didn't even seem like he was interested in being there.  His footwork and balance were excellent,  reminding me of a much younger Wilder (before his ego got the better of him)  but his will to fight was literally zero.  

And Mailk Scott is a complete waste of space.

Well, Wilder sure did give us a lot of entertainment over the years, but he's clearly done.  Hope he retires soon.

------------------

 

Both Dubious and AJ impressed me, and in the same way.  they both seem more fluid than ever, and more focused.  Both worked the ring better than usual, and threw more combinations.   Sad to see Wallin on the slide, but he just didn't move enough.  He looked old and slow, letting AJ setup at will.

 

Sanchez delivered as expected, without really breaking a sweat.

 

Big Mahk got the wakeup call he needed. And he fought clean, which was a nice surprise.

He'll be back for sure,  but that was a stunning performance from Kabayel.   Really wakes up the division,  with two inside fighters having won surprise victories, plus Sanchez.  We could get a lot of "clash of styles" matchups in the next few years.

 

POS Hrgovic wins another fight by throwing continuous rabbit punches at an overmatched opponent.

 

That's all I got.

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On 12/24/2023 at 7:23 PM, Bear Hugger said:

All I got from this boxing event is that is Tyson Fury actually very good? Parker done an absolute job on Wilder, never looked uncomfortable whereas Fury was in uncomfortable positions at some point in all 3 fights with Wilder. And AJ never came out of 2nd gear and absolutely destroyed Wallin, whereas Fury went to hell and back against Wallin.

Fury has duped many people into buying his bluster. His only real achievements are a narrow win over Klit (who would have won if he's thrown literally a couple of dozen more punches) and the Wilder fights. Wilder is a one-trick pony who feasted on tomato cans for his reign. The only decent opponent he fought was an ageing Luis Ortiz, who might have stopped him if it hadn't been for the extended break between rounds 7 and 8.

Parker completely outclassed Wilder without being exceptional. 

Edited by robprosser
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