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Otto Wallin thanks boxing for the path that took him around the world

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Otto Wallin is not the type to shout. In a heavyweight division full of huge mouths (Tyson Fury), huge personalities (Oleksandr Usyk) and huge brands (Anthony Joshua), Wallin is a contrast – a small-town guy who is about as reserved as a world-class heavyweight boxer at 6-foot-5½, weighing 240 pounds can get.

But Wallin has seen his fair share of corners in his 33 years, something he says he is eternally grateful for. And while his upcoming fight with Nigerian Onoriode Ehwarieme at the Tropicana Hotel & Casino on July 26 won’t be his first in Atlantic City, Fresh Jersey, it does mark another step in a journey that has brought Wallin from Sundsvall, Sweden (population: 58,807) to within a step of the pinnacle of boxing: a world heavyweight title fight.

“It’s all thanks to boxing,” Wallin told BoxingScene. “I don’t know what I would have done without boxing.”

Wallin (26-2, 14 KO) got interested in the sport at age 15, fell in love and just… kept going. His world began to open up as an amateur, and when he turned pro in 2013 at age 22, he moved to Berlin. He fought in Germany and Denmark before resurfacing in Sweden, moving to Copenhagen and then fighting in Bulgaria and Latvia. When his trainer, Joey Gamache – a former two-division champion who worked with Team Sauerland in Denmark – decided to move to Fresh York in 2017, Wallin packed his bags.

The move opened doors to the United States, and after his first fight in Atlantic City at the historic Boardwalk Hall, Wallin suddenly found himself in Las Vegas, facing heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. Although Fury shattered Wallin’s unbeaten record in the 2019 fight, Wallin — an agile lefty — gave Fury something to work with, as well as something to remember him by: a gash above his right eye that required 47 stitches.

Wallin has since fought in the US, England, Turkey and, in his most recent fight, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he lost to a resurgent Anthony Joshua. Fury and Joshua, who each held the undisputed heavyweight title, remain the only fighters to have defeated Wallin as a professional.

Not that he seems particularly concerned about those results. Wallin is less “win or die” than “trust the process.” You’re unlikely to hear him bemoan the loss of his “0” or agonize over missed opportunities. He’s as much the kind of guy who gets up and grinds as he is the kind who stops and smells the roses. Wallin enjoys riding the subway to the Mendez Boxing Club in Harlem, sweating through reps with Gamache, and soaking up the competitive atmosphere in the gym. Boxing, like life, is a opulent fabric.

“I always try to make the most of it,” Wallin said. “I just take it as seriously as I can and try to be better every day — just be the best boxer I can be.”

So the Otto Wallin tour is still on?

“I mean, boxing has given me so much — traveling, meeting fresh people and experiencing different cultures,” Wallin said. “So it’s really been great. And, I mean, I love Fresh York. I don’t want to leave. I think it’s a really nice place. It’s great people, a lot of opportunities and, especially as a boxer, it’s a really nice place to live.”

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Boxing

Ryan Rozicki is waiting for Badou Jack’s consent to mandatory cooperation with the WBC

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Badou Jack Rozicki Mikaelian WBC

The World Boxing Council (WBC) ordered world cruiserweight champion Badou “The Ripper” Jack (20-1-1, 19 KO) to make a mandatory title defense against Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (20-1), number 1 in the WBC ranking – 1, 19 KOs).

If both camps fail to successfully negotiate an agreement, the WBC will organize a tender on February 4, followed by the Jack vs. Rozicki. Rozicki’s promoter, Three Lions Promotions, immediately sent Team Jacek an offer to promote the fight in Canada last week.

“We are waiting for their counteroffer,” explained promoter Dan Otter of Three Lions Promotions. “Boxing has had a huge resurgence in Canada and Ryan is leading the way. He is one of the most electrifying and hardest-hitting fighters in boxing, definitely in the cruiserweight division. He wants the WBC green belt and ultimately the unification of the division. Ryan will fight Jack anywhere for the belt.”

29-year-old Rozicki, born in Sydney (Nova Scotia) and living in Hamilton (Ontario), fought 22 professional fights against 21 different opponents (twice against Yamil Alberto Peralta), stopping 19 of the 20 opponents he defeated. an eye-opening 95-KO percentage.

Jack, 41, was a 2008 Olympian representing his native Sweden. He is a three-division world champion, as well as the WBC super middleweight and World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight heavyweight title holder. Jack has a record of 5-0-2 (2 KO) in world championship fights.

“We respect Jack and I don’t want to sound disrespectful,” Otter added, “but he’s over 40 years vintage and has been relatively inactive for two years (only one fight). He brings a lot of experience and respect to the ring, but he will fight a newborn defender with a lot of power. Jack is going to struggle and honestly, I don’t think he’ll make it past the first few rounds.”

Ryan Rozicki is on a mission to become the first Canadian cruiserweight world champion.

The next move is Badou Jack’s.

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Floyd Mayweather’s record is not normal, it can’t happen in 70 years

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Floyd Mayweather 50-0

Floyd Mayweather’s incredible 50-0 record is not normal and cannot be repeated in sports for another seventy years.

This is the view of Saudi Arabian president Turki Alalshikh, who wants to adopt the UFC model in which fighters lose many fights during their career.

In a speech as he hosted the Ring Magazine Awards after acquiring the long-running boxing publication from Oscar De La Hoya, Alalshikh was unequivocal in his opinion.

“Now losing some fights in boxing must be normal,” he explained. “All fighters want a career similar to Floyd Mayweather – no losses. This may happen once every 50, 60 or 70 years.

“We need it [to be] like currently in the UFC model, where champions lose and win,” added the matchmaker during the Riyad season.

Mayweather rose through the sport in the tardy 1990s to become one of its youngest superstars. Mayweather’s professional success came after winning a bronze medal at the Olympics after losing to Serafim Todorov.

Winning world titles in five weight classes, Mayweather was untouchable. The Grand Rapids native only came close to defeat a few times. He dominated Manny Pacquiao and overtook Canelo Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya after heated debates, with decisions that should have been made unanimously.

Towards the end of his career, Mayweather chose to face Andre Berto and Conor McGregor, easily winning and ending his boxing career at the age of 50 without ever going out. Calling himself “the greatest of all time,” Mayweather earned first-ballot Hall of Fame honors and is widely considered one of, if not the greatest defensive fighter of all time.

However, Alalshikh says this type of career needs to end so that fans can get the most out of boxing, as is the case with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Boxing needs to become more attractive, and Alalshikh sees the failures of top stars as a way to keep interest at an all-time high.

In this sport, many boxers enjoy undefeated streaks, the most notable of which is Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian Pound for Pound King is 23-0 and has beaten the best he has to offer in his division and cruiserweight classification.

It remains a mystery how Alalshikh plans to make Usyk suffer while he dominates everyone else. By the time his grand plan goes into action, Usyk will be long gone, and Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney may be more realistic targets.

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Manny Pacquiao remains the favorite to win the title against Mario Barrios

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Manny Pacquiao vs Barrios

WBN understands that despite alternative options emerging, it is more likely that Manny Pacquiao will face Mario Barrios next.

Bob Santos, coach of WBC welterweight champion Barrios, told World Boxing News that he is currently in contact with Pacquiao’s team. Asked by WBN if he had spoken to Pacquiao or representatives of any other challenger, Santos replied: “Yes, Pacquiao’s promoter, Sean Gibbons.” Pressed on whether Barrios vs Pacquiao might happen next, he added: “It’s challenging to say. We’ll have to see how this plays out.”

WBN contacted Santos after Conor Benn emerged as a potential alternative to Barrios. The British fighter, who recently returned from a suspension following two positive drug tests, is keen to return to competition.

Benn showed favor with the World Boxing Council at the recent WBC Convention, the WBC Evaluation Committee and during an interview with the sanctioning body over the weekend. “The Destroyer” is ranked second in the rankings at 147 pounds, despite less than solid opponents during his time in exile, during which Benn competed twice in the United States while his career in the United Kingdom was in doubt.

As he battled to clear his name and with the British Anti-Doping Authority finding no evidence that Benn had intentionally taken ostarine, the 28-year-old’s career took a pointed nosedive. Despite this, he remains highly rated and at least one step away from fighting for an eliminator or one of the remaining championship titles.

However, Pacquiao remains Barrios’ favorite. Now it’s up to the boxing legend and Hall of Famer who got the first votes to secure his shot. WBN believes a July date – most likely at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas – is the most realistic date for a Nevada swan song.

Pacquiao could extend his record as the oldest welterweight champion by six years if he can secure a huge victory over the 29-year-old world champion. At 46 years antique, such a scenario remains unlikely, but he can never be compared to one of the greatest players of this generation.

Unlike heavier boxers and his training regiment, Pacquiao looks in great shape despite his advanced age. Everything is set for a massive return to the boxing capital of the world, provided Pacquiao and his team can manage his political ambitions, which are expected to run from this month until May. After that time, Pacquiao could find himself in the summer finals and become the all-time champion, regardless of the result.

Barrios is based in the city, where he trained with Santos, and would be the perfect opponent to see out the career of one of the greatest fighters in history.

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