Professional boxing in the year 2023 has provided fans with hit after hit (pun intended). From April’s hyped-up bout between Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Ryan Garcia to Terrence “Bud” Crawford’s dominant TKO over Errol Spence in July, there are plenty of memorable moments to take into the new year. But before we get there, 2023 has a departing gift for us: The Day of Reckoning.
The Day of Reckoning is the title for Saturday’s huge card in Saudi Arabia that features some of the biggest names and hardest hitters in boxing, including Deontay Wilder.
Here are three Day of Reckoning fights that’ll be worth betting on.
All odds via BetMGM
Dimitry Bivol (-2500) vs. Lyndon Arthur (+1100)
(Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports)
Unless you’re more than just a casual boxing fan, your introduction to Dmitry Bivol (21-0-0, 11 KOs) was probably back in May of 2022 when he stunned the boxing world by dominating Saul Canelo Alverez in a unanimous decision victory. He out-powered and wore down the smaller Alvarez en route to earning the biggest moment of his career.
Ironically, that same casual likely hasn’t heard much regarding Bivol since that life-changing win. But why? Well, Bivol’s only fought (and won) once since the bout with Canelo, and his match with Lyndon Arthur (23-1-0, 16 KOs) on Saturday will be his first fight in over a year.
Arthur’s a worthy adversary, largely due to his knack for putting his opponent on the canvas. And he’ll presumably need to score another KO if he wants to overcome the odds and hand Bivol his first loss — going the distance with a guy (Bivol) who’s won eight straight contests without a KO doesn’t seem ideal.
Deontay Wilder (-600) vs. Joseph Parker (+400)
(Sarah Stier-USA TODAY Sports)
Quickly, did you know Deontay Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs), the Bronze Bomber, is 38 years old? It’s kind of difficult to comprehend that for whatever reason. Yet, that fact alone makes fights like this one against Joseph Parker (33-3-0, 23 KOs) important for his chances at getting another shot at a title before he closes the door on his boxing career.
But before Wilder looks too far ahead, he’ll have to handle business against Parker, who’s on the heels of a TKO victory less than two months ago. Both fighters have the knockout power to make it a quick fight, although there’s no questioning which of the two is the heavy favorite ahead of this fight.
Fights aren’t won on paper, though. There are plenty of interesting bets to make if you want to go against the grain.
Anthony Joshua (-350) vs. Otto Wallin (+300)
(Photo by Henry Browne/Getty Images)
Anthony Joshua (26-3-0, 23 KOs) gets the main event on this much-anticipated day of boxing, and there’s little reason to expect him to disappoint — at least, not in this calendar year. The year 2023 has been kind to Joshua after a humbling 2022 that saw him firmly removed from his boxing throne. After knocking out Robert Helenius a few months ago in Greenwich, Joshua has a chance to secure victory No. 3 of the year and position himself for a title fight in 2024.
Of course, Joshua’s comeback story could take a drastic turn if Otto Wallin (26-1-0, 14 KOs) performs as he has throughout his boxing career. Wallin’s lone defeat came at the hands of Tyson Fury, with whom he went the distance back in September 2019.
If you ask me, this fight will be the most unpredictable of the three highlighted. I guess that’s why it’s the main event. But hey, ask yourself how this bout will go, and then put some money down.
