Day of Reckoning – Previews, betting odds and predictions of each fight on the stacked card
BBN's Editor, Tim Rickson, previewed all eight fights on the colossal Christmas card in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia this Saturday night, December 23.
All the betting odds below are supplied by Betway Sports.
Anthony Joshua (26-3, 23KO) vs Otto Wallin (26-1, 14KO)
AJ managed to blast out his last opponent, Robert Helenius, with a one-punch KO in round seven, proving his power is still prevalent. However, Wallin is faster, younger, more mobile and ambitious, so he will take a few rounds to break down and catch up to, plus he is a tricky southpaw who is very comfortable boxing off the backfoot.
The Swede gave Tyson Fury an horrific cut that required 40 stitches from a single punch during their 2019 fight, but he doesn't possess great power; his last five fights have all gone the distance. His best chance of winning is to pick Joshua off on the outside and take it to a points decision. But AJ will not accept defeat; he simply can't afford to. After going 24 rounds with a southpaw master, Wallin will not be able to trouble him anywhere near as much as Usyk did, who Joshua improved against in the rematch.
AJ can either dominate this fight with his superior size, reach and weight advantages or to try to land that big right hand to finish matters early.
Verdict: Joshua KO 7-12
Odds: 3/1
Deontay Wilder (43-2-1, 42KO) vs Joseph Parker (33-3, 23KO)
On paper, they both have three blemishes on their record – Parker with three losses, just one by KO, and Wilder with a two defeats and a fortuitous draw, but both losses were via knockout. But, in reality, the majority are expecting an early knockout from the fearsome punching Wilder.
Both boxers are as tough as they come, able to sustain a lot of punishment before being weakened and will not quit. Joe Joyce cut Parker in round seven of their 2022 fight, but the Kiwi stayed in there for a further five rounds before he was dropped with a peach of a shot in the 11th. He bravely rose to his feet but was saved by the referee. The former WBO World champion will not be halted easily, plus he has better boxing skills and ability than Wilder, so he could be in there for a few rounds, if he is able to box and move and stay away from that right hand.
However, there isn't a single opponent Wilder hasn't droped to the canvas, so this is a fate that Parker will endure himself at some point. He may have been given the blueprint from friend and training partner, Tyson Fury, but Robert Helenius had first-hand experience from sparring with Wilder and did him no good whatsover.
Verdict: Wilder KO 4-6
Odds: 12/5
Daniel Dubois (19-2, 18KO) vs Jarrell Miller (26-0-1, 20KO)
South Londoner and former WBA World champion, Daniel Dubois, will have experience, height, reach, youth and power advantages over American Jarrell Miller, 35. However, Dubois is easy to hit and has now been stopped twice by a jab. Both times, it was an accumulation of sustained, heavy punishment resulting in the 26-year-old from Greenwich taking a knee and refusing to continue. Naturally, critics question his heart, but his attack is where his strengths lie. His last 10 victories have all come via KO within five rounds, and he has 12 first and second-round knockouts on his record. If he can start fast, land his punches from mid to long range, not up close where Miller can land his favoured hooks, then he may be able to get through with enough damage to hurt and stop the 'Big Baby' from Brooklyn, however he shown he has a strong chin in recent fights and will not be easily stopped. He took some big shots from Lucas Browne, who is very heavy-handed, and still won by KO.
Miller has talked his way onto the big stage, but not yet backed it up. This fight is being picked by many as the highest chance of an upset on the whole card.
Verdict: Dubois KO 4-6
Odds: 6/1
Dmitriy Bivol (21-0, 11KO) vs Lyndon Arthur (23-1, 16KO)
This fight should attract a lot of attention due to it being the only world title contest on the bill and featuring the only top 10 pound-for-pound star.
Bivol has defend his WBA bauble 10 times now and defeated Canelo and Gilberto Ramirez in his last two fights. He is an elite world champion, proven at the very top, and his opponent, Lyndon Arthur, is an IBO titlist that had to come from behind to win his belt and has KO defeat on his record. These two are on very different levels, despite displaying some of the same strengths. Both are masterful at jabs and measuring range, but Arthus is a 9-1 underdog for a reason.
Whilst, I think Arthur is tough and has a lot of heart, he switches off in fights and repeats mistakes. I think this will be a one-sided contest where the different levels are going to be very evident.
Verdict: Bivol KO 1-6
Odds: 4/1
Jai Opetaia (23-0, 18KO) vs Ellis Zorro (17-0, 7KO)
Unbeaten Aussie, Jai Opetaia, relinquished his IBF World cruiserweight title in order to be a part of this stacked show in Saudi.
Full credit to Bromley boxer, Ellis Zorro, who is the current WBO European crusierweight champion, for stepping up to this level. However, it is too big a leap and too soon for the 31-year-old Brit, who will likely suffer the same fate as his countryman Jordan Thompson when he attempted the same in September. Thompson was in trouble from the very first round, knocked down in the third and fourth, before the fight was called off. The 28-year-old from Sydney was too powerful, aggressive, accurate and relentless; and he starts this pressure and pace from the very first bell.
Zorro has beaten Dec Spelman, Hosea Burton and Luca D'Ortenzi in his last three fights, but each time he has had to come through tough tests to win, so he is really going to be up against it with Opetaia. Apart from Mark De Mori, who shouldn't even be on the show, Zorro is the biggest underdog at the bookies (10-1).
Verdict: Opetaia KO 1-3
Odds: 11/4
Arslanbek Makhmudov (18-0, 17KO) vs Agit Kabayel (23-0, 15KO)
The Russian 'Lion' Arslanbek Makhmudov has 12 first-round KOs on his record! The fearsome puncher pummels his foes into submission with his clubbing, chopping left and right hooks, and he has come up against standard journeyman, tough gatekeepers, and fellow unbeaten prospects, so he is more than ready to step up to world level.
Former European champion Agit Kabayel will be dwarfed by the 6ft-6in powerful Russian on fight night and will struggle to keep him off. This could be a messy fight, with both heavyweights being warned for fouls, as they lean on each other, trying to impose their size and get their punches off. One of these heavyweight is just that bit bigger and more powerful than the other.
Verdict: Makhmudov KO 4-8
Odds: 3/1
Frank Sanchez (23-0, 16KO) vs Junior Fa (20-2, 11KO)
New Zealand's Fa has only lost twice, via UD to Joseph Parker in Auckland in 2021, and in the very first round to heavy-handed former world champion, Lucas Browne, in June 2022.
'The Cuban Flash' is fast and aggressive, but just lacking that lights-out power, that his peers Wilder and Joshua possess. He should be able to outbox Fa and set a high pace, but there could be a lot of clinching to thwart his aggression. Fa is quite relaxed and mobile, and able to evade shots well, he has a decent ring IQ and boxes confidently off the backfoot. I believe he has a strong chance of making it to the final bell, but Sanchez has stopped six from his last eight opponents early, and the only two who reached the final bell both went down late in the fight. I think Fa will do a good job early of keeping Sanchez off, but will gradually tire over time and could be susceptible in the second half of this 10-round contest.
Verdict: Sanchez KO 6-10
Odds: 5/1
Filip Hrgovic (16-0, 13KO) vs Mark De Mori (41-2-2, 36KO)
From Perth, Australia, 41-year-old 'Viking' Mark De Mori has had a bizarre career fighting journeymen, and has only fought once per year for the last three years, where he beat a 16-20-2 opponent in 2023, a 5-19 opponent in 2022, and a 21-20 opponent in 2021, which was his first fight in 16 months. British fight fans may remember him from his fight with David Haye way back in 2016, where he lost in the first round.
IBF #1 Hrgovic has scalped four undefeated fighters in a row, including Zhilei Zhang and Demsey McKean, their records combining to 78-0-1, so this is a bit of a mismatch. Hrgovic is solid and powerful and will easily be able to outbox an ageing De Mori in this fight.
Verdict: Hrgovic KO 1-6
Odds: 1/5
