By Anthony “Stacks” Saldaña

The undefeated “Gypsy King” Tyson Fury (28-0-1, 20 KOs) will invade Las Vegas once again as he defends his lineal heavyweight title on September 14th at the T-Mobile Arena against the undefeated Swede, Otto Wallin (20-0, 13 KOs). For boxing fans Mexican Independence weekend and Las Vegas go hand in hand and the Fury fight will fill an opening at the venue that originally was on hold for The Ring, WBA, and WBC Middleweight Champion and arguably the biggest boxing superstar in the world, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. For Fury this will be the fifth defense of the lineal title. A crown he won in November 2015 after upsetting the future Hall of Famer Wladimir Klitschko to claim the heavyweight championship. 

Photo by Cynthia Saldaña

Last Saturday night in Los Angeles Fury screamed out “Viva Mexico” and promised fans to fight Mexican Style when asked about fighting on the Mexican Holiday. “Tyson Fury electrified Las Vegas last time he fought, and he is set to do it again against a tough kid in Otto Wallin,” Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said. “Tyson knows what’s at stake, and I expect him to have another masterful performance. He is the best heavyweight in the world and is only beginning to show everyone what he’s capable of.”

Fury who was out of the ring for nearly three years due to substance abuse and mental health issues following his victory over  Wladimir Klitschko, made his return to the ring in June 2018 and won two consecutive fights before his controversial draw against the WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder. Six months later Fury made short work of the then undefeated Tom Schwarz. Now Fury will look to get one step closer to a February rematch with Wilder with a win over Wallin. “I am pleased to be back in Las Vegas,” Fury said. “I loved my time there in my last fight and I am going to put on a show at the T-Mobile Arena. Otto Wallin is a world-ranked fighter and is tall (6-foot-5½), something we want with the Deontay Wilder rematch around the corner. He is also a southpaw, which will bring its own obstacles. No one likes southpaws, especially unbeaten in 20 fights. Young and ambitious, strong, healthy and in the prime of his life, and I will have to be fully focused to get this job done because the rematch with Wilder needs to happen.”

For Wallin, Fury will be a colossal step up in competition for the southpaw hailing from Sundsvall, Sweden. Who came away with a no contest victory in his last outing this past April in Atlantic City when he accidentally butted heads with opponent Nick Kisner, causing the physician to bring a stop to the fight in the first round. Wallin however who on paper is nothing more than a hyped up dance partner for Fury will look to follow in the footsteps of the unified heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz and shock the world. “Anybody can get knocked out in the heavyweight division, that’s why it’s so exciting” stated Wallin who is on a journey to become Sweden’s first heavyweight champion since Ingemar Johansson. “This is the type of fight I’ve been waiting for since I was a kid and my father started showing me some boxing moves in our kitchen,” Wallin said. “I’ve made a lot of sacrifices to get to this point and I’m very happy it’s starting to pay off. I want to thank my team and my supporters for making this happen. I know I’m an underdog in this fight, but I’m ready for this opportunity and I’m going to grab it with both hands. I like the fact that I have everything to gain and Tyson has everything to lose.”

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