Fury Vs Wallin Fight Card
Otto Wallin looked like a threat to any heavyweight on Saturday night.
The fight, nationally televised on SHOWTIME, saw Wallin out-work and out-land Breazeale 232-91, including 41.5% of his power punches. “Breazeale was a good step-up fight for me,” said Wallin. Otto Wallin wants a shot to avenge his defeat against Tyson Fury after causing the Brit a huge scare and leaving him requiring 47 stitches in their first fight. The Swedish heavyweight was.
Wallin, who made his name in a competitive setback against Tyson Fury, outboxed Dominic Breazeale to win a one-sided decision and bolster his credentials as a legitimate contender on the Adrien Broner-Jovanie Santiago card in Uncasville, Conn.
Wallin (22-1, 14 KOs) used his superior speed and skillset to pick apart Breazeale (20-3, 18 KOs) for most of the fight, including some hard, eye-catching left hands from the southpaw.
Breazeale, a two-time title challenger, was the aggressor but most of his shots were wild and telegraphed, which allowed Wallin to avoid them.
Breazeale seemed to be tired and discouraged by the middle rounds, when it was clear that he was in over his head. However, he had his best rounds late in the fight, when he was able to trap Wallin on the ropes and land some power shots.
The problem for Breazeale was that it was too little, too late. He simply hadn’t accomplished enough to make the fight competitive. He landed only 16% of his punches, according to CompuBox. Wallin connected on 35% of his shots, 41% of his power punches.
The scores were 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112, all in Wallin’s favor. Boxing Junkie scored it 118-110 for Wallin.
“We knew coming in that I had better footwork, better speed, so I wanted to use that,” Wallin said. “And I have good defense, too. He hit me here and there but nothing too serious.
“I said before the fight that I just gotta do what I’m good at and that’s what I tried to do.”
The 30-year-old Swede has now won two consecutive fights since the loss to Fury. He stopped Travis Kauffman this past August.
He was asked who he would like to fight next but only said that he wants to continue to get better.
“My ultimate goal is to be champion,” he said. “But I have to keep improving, I’m not there yet. I’ve got a lot of work to do, I’m getting better. I’m not so focused on who I fight,
“I just want to fight, keep it stepping it up and when I get another shot, I’ll be ready for it.”
Breazeale, 35, was coming off a first-round, one-punch knockout loss to Deontay Wilder. That means he now has lost two one-sided fights in succession. He’ll have to decide whether he wants rebuild at his age.
FIGHT WEEK
Miguel Berchelt vs. Oscar Valdez and the return of Adrian Broner highlight another busy weekend of boxing
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JANELSON FIGUEROA BOCACHICA (16-0, 11 KOs) VS.
MARK REYES JR. (14-0, 12 KOs)
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SEAN MCCOMB (11-0, 5 KOs)
VS. GAVIN GWYNNE (12-2, 2 KOS)
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MIGUEL BERCHELT (37-1, 33 KOs)
VS. OSCAR VALDEZ (28-0, 22 KOs)
Fury Vs Wallin Card Results
: MGM Grand, Las VegasTV/Stream: ESPNDivision: Junior lightweight (130 pounds)At stake: Berchelt’s WBC titlePound-for-pound ranking: Berchelt, Honorable MentionOdds: Berchelt 3-1 favoriteAlso on the cardFury Vs Wallin Full Fight Card
: Gabriel Flores Jr. vs. Jayson Velez, junior lightweightsPrediction: Berchelt KO 10Background: The Mexicans were scheduled to meet in December but the bout was postponed after Berchelt tested positive for COVID-19. Berchelt will be making the seventh defense of the belt he won by stopping Francisco Vargas in the 11th round of a classic brawl in January 2017. The 29-year-old, a terrific boxer who can also end any fight in an instant, has stopped his past five official opponents. He was last in the ring this past June, when he knocked out Eleazar Valenzuela in six rounds in Mexico City. However, the fight wasn’t sanctioned as a result of coronavirus restrictions. Thus, the result is not recognized. Valdez, a 30-year-old who lives in the Los Angeles area, is a former 126-pound beltholder who will be fighting for a 130-pound title for the first time. He’s coming off a solid performance against Jayson Velez this past July, putting the Puerto Rican veteran down three times and stopping him in the 10th and final round. That was his second fight at 130 pounds. Valdez has been training alongside Canelo Alvarez in the camp of Eddy Reyenoso.***
ADRIEN BRONER (33-4-1, 24 KOs)
VS. JOVANIE SANTIAGO (14-0-1, 10 KOs)
Fury Vs Wallin Fight Cardiff
: Broner 14-1 favoriteAlso on the card: Robert Easter vs. Ryan Martin, junior welterweights; Otto Wallin vs. Dominic Breazeale, heavyweightsPrediction: Broner KO 7Background: Broner garners the attention of a elite athlete but the truth is he hasn’t had success for years. The four-division titleholder hasn’t won a fight since he narrowly outpointed Adrian Granados in February 2017, four years ago. He is 0-2-1 since then, although the losses came against Mikey Garcia (140 pounds) in July 2017 and Manny Pacquiao (147) in January of 2019. He drew with Jessie Vargas between those setbacks. The good news for Broner is that he’s only 31. And he will be fighting Santiago at 140 pounds, at which he won’t be giving away size and strength advantages. Broner will have been out of the ring since the Pacquiao fight, which was more than two years ago. Santiago is a 31-year-old unknown from Puerto Rico. He has a gaudy record but has faced no one of note. His highest-profile victory might’ve been a decision over a faded DeMarcus Corley in 2017. He has won 12 consecutive fights since a draw in his third outing. On the undercard, heavyweights Otto Wallin and Dominic Breazeale hope to position themselves for a title shot. Wallin (21-1, 14 KOs) bounced back from his loss to titleholder Tyson Fury by stopping Travis Kauffman in August. Breazeale (20-2, 18 KOs) is coming off a first-round knockout loss against then-champion Deontay Wilder in May 2019. The Los Angeles-area fighter has failed in two attempts to win a major title.***
DAVID AVANESYAN (26-3-1, 14 KOs)
VS. JOSH KELLY (10-0-1, 6 KOs)