The week of Christmas will feature a star-studded event showcasing some of boxing’s most talented boxers, including Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder, set to fight on December 23rd in separate matches that could pave the way for a future clash between these two heavyweight giants. In a co-promotional effort involving Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions and Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom, a surprise press conference was held on November 15th to announce that Saudi Arabia would host this year’s most significant boxing card.
Anthony Joshua (26-3, 23 KO’s) will face Swedish heavyweight Otto Wallin (26-1, 14 KO’s), who arguably holds a spot as a top 10 heavyweight across various ranking boards, official and unofficial. Though no title is presumably on the line, the two fighters will feature prominently in the main event of the grand boxing card.
Complementing the card as co-headliners will be Deontay Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KO’s) and Joseph Parker (3-3, 23 KO’s), engaging in their intriguing heavyweight match-up. Both fighters, known as top 10 contenders and former world champions, will aim to prove themselves as legitimate future world title contenders.
Jarrell Miller (26-0-1, 22 KO’s), known for explicit rants and past violations for steroid use, will face British talent Daniel Dubois (19-2, 18 KO’s), coming off a loss to unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (21-0, 14 KO’s). Miller’s antics during the press conference drew attention, contributing to the entertaining yet controversial atmosphere.
Top 15 heavyweights Frank Sanchez (23-0, 16 KO’s), Filip Hrgovic (16-0, 13 KO’s), and Arslanbek Makhmudov (18-0, 17 KO’s) will also feature in their respective fights against Junior Fa (20-2, 1 KO’s), Mark De Mori (41-2-2, 36 KO’s), and Agit Kabayel (23-0, 15 KO’s). While facing each other might have made more sense, their inclusion on an already-stacked card with household names adds to a boxing extravaganza not seen in at least a decade.
Moving beyond heavyweights, light-heavyweight Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11 KO’s) will defend his WBA title against British contender Lyndon Arthur (23-1, 16 KO’s), and Australian Jai Opetaia (23-0, 18 KO’s) will defend his own title against Ellis Zorro (17-0, 7 KO’s).
Promoted by top promoters Bob Arum, Eddie Hearn, and Frank Warren, the Christmas surprise event is expected to be fully backed by Saudi Arabia’s enthusiastic boxing stakeholders, with Turki Al-Sheikh confirmed as the main contributor.
The press conference on November 15th provided a glimpse of what’s to come, featuring noteworthy moments with some of boxing’s well-known fighters. The question remains whether these participants will face each other next year, with Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder expected to finally meet in the ring. The promoters have yet to divulge their fighters’ future plans.
For this year, the Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia will host this sensational card to close off boxing with fireworks and build anticipation for the much-anticipated fights in 2024.
