A former opponent of Tyson Fury and the man who almost took his ‘0’ – Otto Wallin, has called on the WBC heavyweight champion for a second fight.
Wallin’s promoter Dmitriy Salita released a statement on Tuesday confirming the news.
It read:
Hearing reports that WBC and Lineal Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury is looking for a December 2020 opponent, Sweden’s IBF #14-ranked Otto Wallin (21-1, 14 KOs) says that he’s the rightful choice for a rematch against the “Gypsy King.”
Yesterday, Fury and his team stated they are moving on from the prospect of a trilogy fight with former champion Deontay Wilder. They are looking for a late 2020 opponent. “Who better than Otto Wallin? He gave Fury the toughest fight of his life!” asks his promoter, Dmitriy Salita.
Wallin and Fury met in a savage slugfest in December 2019. Wallin opened two gruesome cuts around Fury’s right eye so severe that many experts assert Fury was extremely lucky to have avoided a TKO loss.
The pair went on to wage an extremely tense 12-round battle. A blood-soaked Fury dug deep due to the cut. He rallied in the later rounds to eke out a unanimous decision victory.
Fury required close to 50 stitches. He had to have a web mesh inserted surgically into the horrific wounds.
“I deserve a rematch based on my performance against Fury last year,” said Wallin, who had fought just one round in 18 months when he staged his near-upset. “I did much better against Fury than Wilder did, better than anybody who has faced Fury, and I’m ready to take Wilder’s place.
“I’ve been working very hard since last year. I believe I’ve improved with the experience from fighting Fury. And with all the work I’ve put in since that fight.”
TYSON FURY vs OTTO WALLIN II
If Fury’s real goal is to establish his dominance over the rest of the division, granting Wallin a second go-around does make sense.
Against Fury, in addition to goring the big Brit, Wallin landed 127 punches, according to CompuBox. By way of comparison, Wladimir Klitschko landed just 52 punches against Fury.
Deontay Wilder landed only 105 in their two fights combined,
In shape and ready for battle, Wallin fought in August 2020. Furthermore, he stopped respected veteran Travis Kauffman in five dominant rounds.
“Otto is en-route to being heavyweight champion of the world,” added Salita. “He gave Tyson Fury the hardest fight of his life by punches landed and damage administered inside the ring. Now with having fought in August, he is ready to jump on this opportunity and prove he is the best in the world.”
