LONDON: Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder will fight on the same night in Saudi Arabia on December 23, but against different opponents in Otto Wallin and Joseph Parker, respectively.
Former heavyweight champions Joshua and Wilder have long been touted for a bout despite both losing their world titles.
If both win their fights next month, it could finally pave the way for a meeting in early 2024.
Britain’s Joshua will take on Swede Wallin after Wilder faces Parker on the undercard.
“I can’t predict the future but I know where I want to go, I know what I want to do,” Joshua told a press conference.
“I set out a plan at the start of this year and I’m sticking to that. I’m a man of my word and I stand firm on what I believe, and I believe I want to be three-time heavyweight champion of the world.
“And my first stop to that... Is putting on a demolishing job against Otto Wallin.”
Joshua lost his heavyweight belts to Oleksandr Usyk, while Wilder was defeated twice by Tyson Fury.
Wilder has not fought since a first-round knockout victory over Finland’s Robert Helenius in October 2022.
Joshua also knocked out Helenius in the seventh round in his last bout in August.
Usyk and Fury were expected to headline the December 23 card in an undisputed clash, but that meeting was postponed following Fury’s controversial points win over MMA star Francis Ngannou.
Joshua, Wilder to fight different opponents on same night in Riyadh
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Joshua, Wilder to fight different opponents on same night in Riyadh
- Britain’s Joshua will take on Swede Wallin after Wilder faces Parker on the undercard
- If both win their fights next month, it could finally pave the way for a meeting in early 2024
Alcaraz powers into Indian Wells quarter-finals
- Alcaraz will next face 2021 champion Cameron Norrie, who earlier beat Australia’s Rinky Hijikata 6-4 6-2
World number one Carlos Alcaraz continued his dominant run at Indian Wells, beating Norway’s Casper Ruud 6-1 7-6(2) on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals in the California desert.
The Spaniard relied on a near-flawless service game to seize control of the match, racing through the opening set in just 37 minutes after breaking Ruud’s serve three times.
Thirteenth-seeded Ruud raised his level in the second set and forced a tiebreak, hoping to push the match to a decider, but Alcaraz kept his foot on the gas to seal his 15th consecutive victory of the season to reach the quarter-finals for a fifth straight year.
“The conditions were difficult to be honest. Today the ball was tough to control but we both played great,” two-time champion Alcaraz said in his on-court interview.
“My first set was incredible I’m really happy of playing that kind of level, really happy to get through and hopefully I’ll play this level on the next round.”
Alcaraz will next face 2021 champion Cameron Norrie, who earlier beat Australia’s Rinky Hijikata 6-4 6-2, with the Spaniard looking to avenge a defeat to the Briton at last year’s Paris Masters.
SWIATEK, PEGULA THROUGH
World number two Iga Swiatek delivered a dominant 6-2 6-0 victory over Czech 13th seed Karolina Muchova, reeling off 10 consecutive games to secure her fifth win over the Czech, whom she also beat at the same stage of the tournament last year.
“I felt I was playing better and better, just great,” Swiatek said.
“I love playing here ... It’s a great place to play tennis, hopefully I can keep doing that until the end.”
Swiatek, chasing a third Indian Wells title, will face ninth seed Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals after the Ukrainian advanced when Katerina Siniakova retired injured.
American fifth seed Jessica Pegula overcame Belinda Bencic 6-3 7-6(5) to secure her first victory in five meetings between the pair.
Pegula, coming off a dramatic comeback win over Jelena Ostapenko, took control as she clinched the opening set — her first ever against the Swiss — before edging a tightly contested tiebreak to close out the match.
Russian 11th seed Daniil Medvedev beat Alex Michelsen 6-2 6-4 in a commanding performance, needing just one hour and 27 minutes to dismantle the American and maintain his strong form after winning last month’s Dubai Open.
