Otto Wallin nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the decade against Tyson Fury six years ago.
The Swedish giant was drafted in as a tune-up opponent for Fury – then an unbeaten heavyweight – in 2019 ahead of his much-anticipated rematch with Deontay Wilder.
In his previous outing, Fury had made quick work of Tom Schwarz inside two rounds, and Wallin was expected to fall to the same fate.
But the tricky southpaw proved to be a much sterner test than most had anticipated.
In the third round, Wallin opened a deep gash above Fury’s right eye with a cuffing blow that painted the Brit’s chest red.
As the fight wore on, the cut got worse and worse while Wallin targeted the wound.
Wallin used every trick in the book, including rubbing his glove on Fury’s cut, to deepen the laceration.
But some brilliant work from Fury’s cutman Jorge Capetillo kept Fury in the fight.
There were tense moments in the sixth stanza when the doctor examined his eye, and there were genuine fears that a medical stoppage could end Fury’s undefeated record six years before Oleksandr Usyk would achieve that very feat.
Yet Fury held on for a unanimous decision win, although he later required 47 stitches and plastic surgery due to the damage inflicted.
Speaking to talkSPORT in 2022, Wallin said: “I gave [Fury] his toughest fight of his career.
“Wilder knocked him down a few times, but no one has been able to match his skills like I did.
“I landed more punches than anybody has done on him. I landed more punches than Wilder in the first fight and [Wladimir] Klitschko together.
“So, that’s a big statement in itself and of course, I can beat him, I know that and I think he knows that too, that’s why he never mentions my name anymore.”
Wallin’s stock rose tenfold from the performance, with the Swede later going on to earn himself a top 10 place in Ring Magazine heavyweight rankings after stringing together an impressive six-fight winning streak.
However, his position in the standings came crashing down when Anthony Joshua retired him on his stool at the end of the fifth round in December 2023.
Since then, Wallin has fought once – a first-round knockout win over the unheralded Onoriode Ehwarieme.
But on Saturday night, he is back under the bright lights for more big-time boxing against Derek Chisora at the Co-Op Live Arena in Manchester.
Wallin wasn’t the first choice to face Chisora, with a bout against Jarrel Miller initially scheduled until it was called off due to a contractual dispute.
The fight will mark Chisora’s 49th professional outing, and his final on British shores.
It is being billed as ‘Last Dance’ by Queensberry Promotions but Chisora is expected to have one final bow abroad before he calls time on his long and punishing career.
Providing Chisora comes through the contest unscathed, the 41-year-old is hoping to land a high-profile match-up with either Francis Ngannou in Africa or a trilogy with Dillian Whyte.
But a loss to Wallin could throw a spanner in the works.
