One of, if not the biggest fight card of the year is set to take place on Saturday live on DAZN PPV.
Labelled the "Day of Reckoning," there are a number of big names set to feature including former world heavyweight champions Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder.
Ahead of this weekend's event, DAZN boxing commentator Todd Grisham previews all eight fights on the stacked card in Riyadh.
Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin
For Anthony Joshua, I feel like he doesn't know who he is anymore and we as fans don’t know who he is anymore.
Is he the guy that blasts through opponents and is fearless? Or is he the guy that thinks too much?
Mentally lets just see where Joshua is, he comes into this fight on the back of a good knockout win over Robert Helenius, but before that winning punch, Joshua did not look great.
As a southpaw, Otto Wallin can frustrate him. He’s a good boxer and gave Tyson Fury some trouble. I would not be surprised if Wallin wins, but Joshua is the favourite.
Deontay Wilder vs. Joseph Parker
You want the big hitters, that’s what heavyweight boxing is all about and the fans want to see knockouts. That’s all Deontay Wilder does.
Joseph Parker is outstanding, great movement, a good boxer. He’s won his last three fights after losing to Joe Joyce last year, but when you face Wilder, you have to survive.
If the fight goes the distance, Parker wins. When Wilder fought Luis Ortiz for a second time four years ago, he lost almost every round before he got the knockout. For Parker it’s simple, avoid Wilder’s right hand. I don’t know if he’s going to do it, he probably won’t, but that’s the game plan.
Wilder keeps saying that he has improved. We have only seen him fight one round against Robert Helenius in over a year so he will be a little rusty. If I’m Parker, I would stick and move, pile up the points and don’t get into an exchange with the hard-hitting American.
Daniel Dubois vs. Jarrell Miller
This is the most intriguing matchup to me on the whole card. Who knows which Jarrell Miller will show up?
He’s had three low-level wins since being suspended, so we have not seen him under the bright lights on a big stage.
Dubois on the other hand handled himself well against Oleksandr Usyk back in August. He obviously had that controversial low blow call and I don't know what to expect.
We know Miller will talk a lot of trash and eat a lot too. He’s bigger than ever, and it will be interesting to see what will happen if Miller wins and gets the microphone afterwards, who is he calling out, what’s he going to do?
Dmitry Bivol vs. Lyndon Arthur
First of all, fair play to Lyndon Arthur for taking this fight.
Dmitry Bivol is a pound-for-pound great right now and I don’t think Lyndon Arthur is going to last. Bivol has been out of the ring for a while, you never know what might happen and Arthur does not lack confidence.
Arslanbek Makhmudov vs. Agit Kabayel
I’ve seen Arslanbek Makhmudov live on the undercard of Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou in October and he’s a very impressive specimen. But how is he going to react to someone who hits back and stands up to him?
When I saw him, I thought he was intimidating and I don’t think anyone is lining up to get in the ring with this guy. When it comes to Saturday’s fight against the undefeated Agit Kabayel, I expect it to be a thrilling contest and is likely to end in a ‘last man standing’ scenario.
Jai Opetaia vs. Ellis Zorro
It’s a shame that the IBF had to strip Jai Opetaia. The mandatory challenger, Mairis Briedis, is injured so he could not fight him anyway.
Opetaia will now need to block that out when it comes to no longer being a champion, but it doesn’t matter in the big scheme of things, and do what he’s done in the past: go in there and destroy people.
He’s got so much buzz around him right now and I don’t think he needs that world title belt. Opetaia is still the Ring Magazine cruiserweight champion, and this a showcase opportunity for him to go in there and show everybody what he can do.
Filip Hrgovic vs. Mark De Mori
In my opinion, this is the most one-sided match-up on this stacked card.
Filip Hrgovic should have no problem with this guy. I wouldn’t call it a stay-busy fight, but Hrgovic is getting paid well and he’s the mandatory for the IBF heavyweight title currently held by Oleksandr Usyk.
Hrgovic however cannot afford to overlook Mark De Mori, but I don’t see him encountering any problems come fight night.
Frank Sanchez vs. Junior Fa
Frank Sanchez is one of those guys who people have a high ceiling for, and with many thinking that he can do something really special if given the chance. So he needs to prove it.
Junior Fa is no pushover, but I think Frank Sanchez is the favourite and this is a fight which Sanchez needs to win and look good doing it.
You can watch the Day of Reckoning, featuring Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin, Deontay Wilder vs. Joseph Parker and Daniel Dubois vs. Jarrell Miller, on DAZN PPV on Saturday, December 23. Click here for more details.