The biggest boxing card of the year goes down this Saturday, December 23rd live from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This is a continuation of the Riyadh Season, following the success of Fury vs. Ngannou.
Headlining the blockbuster event is the former two-time heavyweight champion of the world, Anthony Joshua as he continues his comeback against the dangerous, Otto Wallin.
Protagonist 🎬 pic.twitter.com/lmlTU6ZBOr
— Anthony Joshua (@anthonyjoshua) December 18, 2023
The co-main event will also see a former world heavyweight champion on the comeback trail, Deontay Wilder as he clashes with former champion, Joseph Parker.
Former title challenger, Daniel Dubois returns after losing to Oleksandr Usyk last time out to clash with the undefeated heavy-hitting Jarrell Miller.
Undefeated WBA light heavyweight champion, Dmitry Bivol makes his first appearance of the year as he takes on Lyndon Arthur, who challenges for a world title for the first time in his career.
Jai Opetaia will meet Ellis Zorro. This fight comes off the back of the Aussie, Opetaia vacating his IBF cruiserweight world title after the sanctioning body rejected his voluntary defence against Zorro.
Undefeated Cuban, Frank Sanchez clashes with Junior Fa. Fa is coming off a first-round knockout of 0-6 journeyman, Tussi Asafo after dropping two straight.
Filip Hrgovic is in the biggest knockover of the night as he takes on Mark de Mori. De Mori is most famous for being one of the men that David Haye took on in one of his comeback fights, beating him convincingly.
Rounding out the huge fight card is Arslanbek Makhmudov vs Agit Kabayel. At 18-0 with 17 knockouts, Makhmudov is certainly a force to be reckoned with, however, Kabayel has a record of 23-0 so might not be an easy fight.
Where to Watch ‘Day of Reckoning’
This huge card is set to take place on Saturday night and can be streamed live on DAZN PPV, which means that regular subscribers of DAZN will have to pay extra to watch this fight card.
Best Bets
With plenty of huge fights, we give you a few of our best bets and predictions to make you some money before Christmas!
Anthony Joshua via Decision (+120)
This will certainly be a tough fight for AJ. Wallin has just a single loss, coming at the hands of Tyson Fury, however, in that one, he could have defeated Fury, who suffered a terrible cut which almost saw the fight called off. Expect Joshua to fight cautiously in this one as he looks ahead to a potential Deontay Wilder match in 2024.
Joshua has the ability to knock anyone in the heavyweight division out, however, don’t be surprised to see him fight behind the jab, commit to plenty of holding and unfortunately, quite a boring fight. It’s also worth noting, for what it’s worth, that Joshua defeated Wallin in the amateurs back in 2010.
There is a chance that we get to see the old, aggressive AJ back as he’s teamed up with Ben Davison for this fight. Davison likes his fighters to be on the front foot and this partnership might be just what the Olympic gold medallist needs to find his best form again.
Daniel Dubois via Decision (+160)
In what is essentially a comeback fight after losing to Usyk, Daniel Dubois has a tough test against the drugs cheat that is, Jarell Miller. Dubois has legitimate knockout power, scoring 18 knockouts in 19 wins, so logically the pick would be the Brit via knockout.
With that being said, Miller will come in around 300lbs, having weighed 333lbs last time out against Lucas Browne. Dubois weighed just 233lbs against Usyk last time out. Miller will be able to take far more damage than most of Dubois’ past opponents due to his size and weight.
Dubois, if he has his head in the right place, should have enough to out-point Miller, so a pick for the Brit on points is a reasonable shout.
Dmitry Bivol via knockout (-105)
Unfortunately for Brits and fans of Lyndon Arthur, he’s fighting an up-hill battle in this one. Bivol is one of the best technicians in in the sport today and certainly doesn’t get the props that he deserves. He’s gone to a 12-round decision in his past eight fights and will be looking to put a stamp on this one, especially as he wants a fight with the winner of Arthur Beterbiev and Callum Smith in 2024. He certainly holds the power, however, hasn’t shown it in recent times.
Expect Bivol to rise to the occasion and finish Arthur, a man who has been finished just once in his career against Anthony Yarde in 2021.
Jai Opetaia Rounds 1-6 (-120)
Jai Opetaia has scored 18 knockouts in 23 professional wins, so expect this one to go the same way on Saturday night. At -650, a bet on the Australian to win via knockout isn’t worth the money, especially if you want to win big. To back him to win between rounds 1-6 is more worth a punt. He’s recorded 15 of his 18 knockouts between rounds one and six, so this one seems like a pretty safe backing.
Filip Hrgovic Rounds 1-3 (-180)
If there was ever a bet to back, it’s this one. Hrgovic has scored nine of his 13 knockouts within three rounds and de Mori has no business being in there with him. de Mori’s past four opponents have a total of 97 career losses, so he hasn’t exactly been getting in the best work in recent times. Hrgovic will get him out of there early.
