Otto Wallin: 5 key facts about likely Tyson Fury next opponent

It has now been heavily rumoured that the next opponent for elite heavyweight Tyson Fury will be unbeaten Swede Otto Wallin. Not only that, but the pair will, with a projected September 14th date in Las Vegas, ’borrow’ from Canelo Alvarez the weekend that sits close to Mexican Independence Day.

With that in mind, we thought we would share with you 5 hopefully interesting facts about Wallin (pronounced Vye-Lean).

1. Pro boxing was banned in Sweden, due to safety concerns, from 1970 until early 2007. The 6ft 5 1/2in southpaw did not turn pro until 2013, by which time the paid code was starting to thrive once again at home.

2. He began boxing aged 15 and went just 34-12 as an amateur. He never went to a World or European Championships.

3. Wallin is promoted by ex-pro Dimitriy Salita, trained by another former fighter in Joey Gamache and managed by Zach Levin, who I had the pleasure of working with when he was a contributing writer - and an excellent if not always reliable one - for Boxing News magazine.

4. Lost to Anthony Joshua twice on points as anateurs but also sparred AJ as pros, before the latter’s IBF title win against another leftie in Charles Martin.

5. His best win came in April 2018 when he widely outscored compatriot Adrian Granat for the EU title. To put that in perspective, Granat’s other defeat saw him walloped in a round by fringe contender Alexander Dimitrenko. Wallin was then out for a year before his No Contest with Nick Kisner in April. An accidental butt severely cut Kisner in round one and the fight was halted at the end of that session.