Day of Reckoning full undercard: Joshua vs Wallin, Wilder vs Parker and the complete list of fights

By any reckoning, the upcoming Day of Reckoning fight card is one of the most stacked in history. There are six top-ten ranked heavyweights, including three former world champions, squaring off as they each claw their way toward a mandatory title shot.

While the belts themselves will be unified in February, when Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury finally meet, the fight that has whetted the appetite of boxing fans for years now is tantalizingly close and will come face-to-face on Saturday.

Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder will co-headline the card, facing Otto Wallin and Joseph Parker respectively. At one point in time, all of the world heavyweight titles were held by Joshua, Parker, and Wilder.

These days, there are no titles on the line. But the top contenders for a mandatory shot by all four of the major belts are divvied up between Deontay Wilder, Anthony Joshua, Filip Hrgovic, Otto Wallin, and Joseph Parker. A win on Saturday will catapult any of them into pole position for a shot at Usyk’s or Fury’s titles.

As Anthony Joshua takes on Otto Wallin, the expectation is that AJ will do the business, but Wallin can potentially be a dangerous opponent. After losing on points twice to Usyk, Joshua will want to show that the awkward southpaw factor is not in the equation with a handy stoppage. But Wallin has proven to be a stumbling block for other hopefuls. He gave Tyson Fury a scare back in 2019, opening a huge gash on the Gypsy King’s head as he took him the distance. Joshua will need to stay at range early and win the points before opening up in the middle to late rounds. My prediction is that it will go the distance, where Joshua will get a points win, although a late stoppage is not out of the question.

Deontay Wilder will face an altogether different prospect in Joseph Parker. While there are few fighters, if any, who pack the one-punch knockout power of the Bronze Bomber, the trick will be to land it cleanly. Parker is no slouch and is head and shoulders above Wilder in boxing skill. With very fast hands and lightning reflexes, Parker can get in and out, winning points in the early rounds. The trick for the Kiwi former champ will be to stay away from that hammer of a right hand that Wilder wields. If he can do that and force it into the judges hands, Parker could get a big decision win. The expectation is that Wilder will start to land heavy shots in the second or third round, eventually slowing Parker down enough to catch him flush in the later rounds. While Parker has a good chin, he is not invulnerable. My prediction is a late TKO by Wilder, with a sledgehammer shot forcing the ref to step in and stop it.

Additionally, both Daniel Dubois and Jarrell Miller are top-ten contenders and the winner of their bout can raise their own chances of a title shot.

Cruiserweight Jai Opetaia has had to vacate his IBF title in order to fight Ellis Zorro. The organization ruled that he must face Mairis Briedis in a rematch, but the Latvian challenger is simply not ready to fight on Saturday. Faced with the decision of hanging onto either his belt or a career-high payday, it was a no-brainer for the Australian.

In the light heavyweight division, there will be one title shot on the table as WBA world champ Dmitry Bivol will take on Lyndon Arthur in what is widely seen as a tune-up fight ahead of the inevitable clash with Arthur Beterbiev that must come in the spring. Assuming of course, that Beterbiev makes it past Callum Smith in a few weeks time.

The full card