2023 has been an incredible year for boxing. We have seen countless fantastic bouts, such as Gevonta Davis v Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney v Lomachenko and Errol Spence v Terrance Crawford.
We are ending the year with the biggest boxing event of them all: the Day Of Reckoning. If the name does not give you a clue if you are a boxing fan, Christmas has come early!
December 23rd is due for one of the best boxing events in recent history with a pretty impressive lineup of some of the biggest world champions and names in boxing, including Anthony Joshua vs Otto Wallin, Heavyweight Deontay Wilder vs Joseph Parker, Heavyweight and Dmitry Bivol vs Lyndon Arthur; For Bivol’s WBA light heavyweight title.
It’s clear that we are in for an exhilarating night, but what we all want to know is who will win, right? I’ve done all the research, so you do not have to; let’s take a look at the fights.
Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin
Although the heavyweight fight we all wanted to see would have been Anthony Joshua v Deontay Wilder or even Tyson Fury, fans will have to settle for Joshua taking on Otto Wallin- but they should not be too disappointed as Wallin has been dubbed a pretty tough opponent with his last loss being five years ago been against Fury himself. Wallin is set to be Joshua’s most challenging opponent yet after his comeback journey after some pretty comfortable wins against Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius.
What are the factors?
Reach, Stance, Height
Regarding height, there is no significant difference between the two fighters; Joshua stands at 6ft 6 (198cm), and Wallin stands at 6 ft 5 ½ (197 cm). However, when it comes to reach, Joshua will have a slight advantage as he has a reach of 208 cm, while Wallin’s reach is 10 cm shorter at 198 cm.
Additionally, both fighters have an opposite stance; Joshua fights in an orthodox stance (where fighters stand with their left foot in front and their right foot in the back). Your right hand is connected to your chin or head, while your left hand is in the lead. The lead left hand is the first line of defence to test the range between you and your opponent), while Wallin stands in the opposite of the southpaw (where the boxer has the right hand and the right foot forward, leading with right jabs and following with a left cross-right hook. It is the normal stance for a left-handed boxer).
Previous Record
Joshua is the favourite to win in this fight, but both fighters have a similar record; Anthony has a record of 26-0-3, while Otto has a record of 26-1-1.
Despite Joshua being the favourite, many boxing experts and fans have questioned Joshua’s ability as a boxer since his first and unexpected loss to Ruiz, whom he went on to beat in a rematch. However, since he has lost twice to Oleksandr Usyk who, with all fairness, could be considered one of the greatest heavyweight boxers currently, Joshua’s recent wins against Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius have been considered ‘too easy for him’, especially considering Helneius stepped in with one week’s notice after his old rival Dillian Whiyte dropped out due to an anti-doping finding.
The British boxer has lost more fights than his opponent, who only lost one fight five years ago to Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury, who is considered the best heavyweight boxer. Joshua will have everything to prove on December 23rd.
Weight
Regarding the KO record, Joshua is significantly better at 23, while Wallin’s is 14. Anthony is also heavier than his opponent, weighing 250 pounds, while Wallin is approximately 13 pounds lighter. Considering each fighter’s KO record and weight, this potentially means that Joshua is and will be the more powerful puncher.
The Odds
The current average odds, as collected by TXODDS, are Joshua 1.230 and Wallin 3.942.
Besides who will be crowned victorious, if you want to place a wager, there are a few other variables to bet on.
How many rounds will it go?
Despite having a slightly worse loss record than Wallin, it seems when it comes to going the distance by looking at the history of their previous fights, Joshua might have the advantage as he has a better record of winning his fights before the scheduled amount of rounds. That being said, Wallin is not far behind as his last win before the final bell was only two years ago.
Average odds to go the distance , fight to be stopped beforehand .
Will there be a KO or UD victory?
Regarding KO record, Joshua’s is pretty impressive with 23 out of 26 wins his last being earlier this year despite losing more than Walin who only has 14 out of 26 wins with his previous being a while ago in 2018.
Average odds on
KO victory:
Joshua 2.200
Wallin 10.00
UD victory:
Joshua 2.875
Wallin 6.500
Deontay Wilder vs. Joseph Parker
Another highly anticipated fight on the cards is Deontay Wilder v Joseph Parker. Throw Wilder in the ring with just about anyone, and it is due to be an explosive match. That’s not to take away from Parker’s incredible reputation, as he has fought some of the biggest and best names in boxing, such as Anthony Joshua, Dillian Whyte, and Derek Chisora.
What are the factors?
Reach, Stance, Height
Both fighters have quite tall builds, with Deontay standing at 6 ft 7 and Parker standing a little smaller at 6 ft 4; due to the height advantage, Wilder will also have the advantage in reach as he has a reach of 211 cm while Parker’s almost twenty cm’s more minor is at 193 cm. This will make it much easier for Wilder to land punches, while Parker must get in a little closer to make his punches land.
Additionally, they both fight in an orthodox stance (where fighters stand with their left foot in front and their right foot in the back. Your right hand is connected to your chin or head, while your left hand is in the lead. The lead left hand is the first line of defence to test the range between you and your opponent).
Previous Record
Wilder is the frontrunner to win this fight, with him having to partake in and winning more fights, his current record being 43-1-2. Parker may not be the favourite to win, but he may be a dark horse in this match as he has already fought three times this year and won all three bouts; his current record is 33-0-3.
When it comes to naming some of the greats in boxing, Wilder is undoubtedly on the list; he has partaken in some of the most iconic bouts of all time, including Wilder vs Helenius, Wilder vs Ortiz II and, of course, Wilder v Fury and all of the rematches that followed. Wilder does have a lot more experience than his opponent. However, Parker has been proving himself as the one to watch, and while Wilder might have participated in more fights, his last fight was Oct 2022, while Parker is fresh out of the ring with his last fight on October 28th 2023. This may play as an advantage to Parker.
Despite Parker being fresh out of the ring, there’s still a big reason why Wilder might take home the W, and that would be what he is known for best – his powerful punches. We all remember the legendary blow that sent The Gypsy King down.
His record speaks for itself, and he has one of the highest KO/win ratios, with 42 out of 43 wins coming by KO.
The Odds
The current average odds, as collected by TXODDS, are Wilder 1.188 and Parker 4.778.
Besides who will be crowned victorious, if you want to place a wager, there are a few other variables to bet on.
How many rounds will it go?
Wilder is the favourite to win, and for obvious reasons, out of all the fights he has had and won, only one has gone the total distance, and that was back in 2015; that being said, Parker has begun to build himself his own impressive KO record, with only one of his three fights this year going the scheduled amount of rounds and the others only going three out of ten and the other only going one out of ten. Parker might have to work fast and hard to beat Wilder, but has proved it might just be possible.
Average odds to go the distance , fight to be stopped beforehand .
Will there be a KO or UD victory?
Regarding KO records, it’s evident that Wilder will have the clear advantage as he has a 98% successful KO record, while Parker is still quite close with 70% considering his experience. Wilder’s most recent KO history was in his last fight against Robert Helenius. Parker was also in his previous fight against Simon Kean and had a TKO earlier this year against Faiga Opelu.
Average odds on
KO victory:
Wilder 1.333
Parker 13.000
UD victory:
Wilder 9.000
Parker 8.000
Dmitry Bivol vs. Lyndon Arthur
The third undercard will be the battle between undefeated fighter Dmitry Bivol and Lyndon Arthur. Everyone’s eyes may be on Bivol as he is the favourite, but many are rooting for Arthur, including fellow boxer Anthony Yarde.
What are the factors?
Reach, Stance, Height
The two fighters are similar in height. Bivol is 6ft, and Arthur is slightly taller at 6ft 2; equal to their height, the Manchester boxer will have an ever so slight advantage as his reach is 188cm while his opponent is 183cm.
Both fighters fight in an orthodox fighting stance (where fighters stand with their left foot in front and their right foot in the back. Your right hand is connected to your chin or head, while your left hand is in the lead. The lead left hand is the first line of defence to test the range between you and your opponent).
Previous Record
Bivol is the highest-ranked fighter on the cards, so he is the clear favourite to win; he has become one of the biggest names in boxing ever since that win against a prime Canelo Alvarez; his current record is 21-0-0, winning eleven of those fights by knockout and the other ten by unanimous decision.
On the other hand, this will be Arthur’s most brutal bout yet, and he was surprised to get this fight; he has won four fights in a row since getting knocked out by Anthony Yarde, who has been the only person to defeat him in 2021. Bivol will be a big challenge for Arthur as he has not fought anyone on the Russian boxer level. He will have to pull a lot out of the bag to win this fight, but even if he does lose, the Day Of Reckoning will be great exposure for Lyndon and could potentially create opportunities for him to fight other more prominent names in boxing.
Bivol’s last fight was in November 2022, and Arthur has already fought twice this year, which may be an advantage to Lyndon.
The Odds
The current average odds, as collected by TXODDS, are Bivol 1.034 and Arthur 9.832.
Besides who will be crowned victorious, if you want to place a wager, there are a few other variables to bet on.
How many rounds will it go?
Regardless of Bivol being the frontrunner to win, when it comes to going this distance, it is Arthur who has a more successful record of his fights not going the scheduled amount of rounds sixteen out of the twenty-three fights he has won before the bell, while the last time one of Bivol’s fights was called before the bell was in 2018.
Average odds to go the distance , fight to be stopped beforehand .
Will there be a KO or UD victory?
It is evident that Bivol has the upper hand in a KO or UD victory- the fighter has lost not a single fight and has won all of his fights by KO or UD. However, Arthur has also been building an impressive record and has won all four of his last fights by KO, TKO, or UD.
Average odds on
KO victory:
Bivol 1.667
Arthur 29.000
UD victory:
Bivol 2.750
Arthur 19.000
