Dillian Whyte will face a younger, fresher heavyweight than expected.
BoxingScene.com has learned that Whyte will oppose Otto Wallin on October 30 at O2 Arena in London. The hard-hitting Whyte will defend his WBC interim heavyweight title versus the Swedish southpaw in a main event DAZN will stream.
Promoter Eddie Hearn stated earlier this month that Whyte would likely face American veteran Chris Arreola, a 40-year-old contender who tested former champion Andy Ruiz Jr. in his most recent match May 1 in Carson, California. Once a deal for Whyte-Arreola failed to materialize, however, Hearn and Whyte turned their attention to Wallin, who is most known for giving unbeaten WBC champ Tyson Fury a tougher time than expected two years ago at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The card headlined by Whyte-Wallin probably will be announced later this week.
The 30-year-old Wallin (22-1, 14 KOs) has stopped Travis Kauffman (32-4, 23 KOs, 1 NC) in the fifth round and soundly defeated Dominic Breazeale (20-3, 18 KOs) on points in their 12-rounder since Fury defeated him by unanimous decision in their September 2019 bout at T-Mobile Arena.
The 33-year-old Whyte regained the WBC interim championship in his last fight, a fourth-round stoppage of Alexander Povetkin in their immediate rematch March 27 at Europa Point Sports Complex in Gibraltar. Russia’s Povetkin (36-3-1, 25 KOs) upset the Jamaican-born, London-based Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs) in their previous bout, which the former WBA champion won by fifth-round knockout when his left hook knocked Whyte unconscious in August 2020 at Matchroom Boxing’s headquarters in Brentwood, England.
Povetkin overcame two fourth-round knockdowns to beat Whyte that night.
Wallin, meanwhile, could earn himself a shot at more than an interim belt by beating Whyte. The 6-feet-5½, 240-pound Wallin is ranked only by the IBF, at number 12, but a victory over Whyte would move him closer to a rematch against England’s Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) or Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs), if Alabama’s Wilder can defeat Fury in their third WBC heavyweight title fight October 9 at T-Mobile Arena.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.