Coming off the biggest win of his career almost a year ago, WBC #13-rated heavyweight Otto Wallin says he’s happy to be getting back in the ring this Saturday night (February 5, 2022).
The 6′ 5½″ southpaw Wallin (22-1, 14 KOs), from Sundsvall, Sweden, will look to shake the rust off against durable veteran Kamil Sokolowski (11-24-2, 4 KOs) of Czestochowa, Poland, on the untelevised undercard of the Ultimate Boxxer PPV event featuring the Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Liam Williams 12-round middleweight showdown and female superstar Claressa Shields defending her WBC/WBA/IBF Middleweight world titles against unbeaten top-rated challenger Ema Kozin, live from Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales.
“It feels good to be back in the ring,” admitted Wallin. “I haven’t been able to fight in almost a year, so I’m just excited to be fighting again. This will be a smaller fight for me to shake some ring rust and I’ll be able to step it up again very soon. My opponent doesn’t have the best record, but he’s a tough customer and nobody I can underestimate. I need to go out and handle my business to keep being considered one of the best heavyweights in the world.”
The 31-year-old was last seen winning a wide unanimous decision over respected fellow contender Dominic Breazeale in February 2021. A proposed fight against current WBC interim titlist Dillian Whyte fell through late last year when Whyte withdrew, claiming an injury.
Wallin came from seemingly out of nowhere to shock the boxing world and nearly annex the lineal heavyweight championship from current WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in 2019, ultimately losing by respectable unanimous decision while inflicting a cut on Fury that required 47 stitches and nearly led to a TKO victory for the upstart Swede.
“I feel like since I fought Tyson Fury, I’ve only gotten better,” added Wallin. “I’ve had two more years of training and I gained very valuable experience in that fight. I’m ready to show everybody that when I get my next big shot at the title I’ll be more than ready to bring it home.”
“I am happy that Otto is back in the ring, particularly in the UK,” said Wallin’s promoter, Dmitriy Salita. “It’s been a challenging period after the Dillian Whyte fight cancellation and now, with some clarity on what is happening with the heavyweight title picture, we felt it was beneficial for Otto to fight in the UK: the home of today’s heavyweight elite. Otto will get back to winning and cement himself as next in line for another significant opportunity.”
