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<\/p>\nOtto Wallin has been here before as the warm-up for a Brit before a big-money showdown with Deontay Wilder.<\/p>\n
But for a man who once worked in a mental health hospital for \u201cmurderers and paedophiles\u201d, it is no daunting task. Back in 2019, the Swedish heavyweight gave Tyson Fury a mighty fright when he opened up a nasty cut over the Gypsy King\u2019s eye and pushed him all the way in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n
Now he\u2019s hoping to go one step further against Fury\u2019s rival Anthony Joshua when he takes the former world champion on in Saudi Arabia on December 23. Wallin, 33, is planning the purchase of a new bike with his Middle East millions. But his journey in boxing was motivated by seeing a Swedish Olympian drive around in a flash car.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Fans distracted by Tyson Fury's 'third leg' as boxing champ returns to training<\/b><\/p>\n
READ MORE: 'Anthony Joshua snubbed \u00a340m to box me \u2013 we're now fighting on same night'<\/b><\/p>\nJoin the Daily Star's WhatsApp for the sexiest headlines, showbiz gossip and lots more<\/h3>\n
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\u201cI started out boxing in a basement, it was the gym,\u201d said the Swede, who hails from the city of Sundsvall but now trains in New York. \u201cIt was like a recreational centre. They still have the club there. We had some good people there when I first started, we had an Olympian. He was Kennedy Katende.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe went to two Olympics. I remember him being successful, I wanted to be like him, I remember him driving around in a nice car and it was good motivation because I wanted a car like his. It was like a Dodge I think he had.<\/p>\n
What's your prediction for Joshua vs Wallin? Tell us in the comments section below<\/i> <\/b><\/p>\n
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\u201cMe buy a car? Maybe I will buy a new bike. I don\u2019t need a car in New York, I ride round on Citybikes so maybe I\u2019ll buy my own bike.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wallin has shared a ring twice before with Joshua when they were both raw amateurs. The Brit got the better of him then and they\u2019ve also sparred since. But while Joshua went on to Olympic gold and the riches that came with that in the pro ranks after, Wallin\u2019s journey has been a little different.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was about 15 I started working at a hardware store, I was selling everything to build a house,\u201d he said. \u201cThen when I was about 21, I started working at the prison. It was like a prison but for mentally ill people.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThere would be murderers, paedophiles but ones with mental issues who couldn\u2019t go to a normal prison. That was an experience too. I learned a lot there.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne thing I learned was not to judge people too hard, you never know what they\u2019re going through. It\u2019s not easy. They\u2019re convicted of bad crimes but they\u2019re also people. It\u2019s not that fun.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean it was easy work-wise, we were just hanging around making sure nothing bad was happening. I could train on my lunch breaks. I didn\u2019t have to spend too much energy and I could work out on my lunches.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Wallin left that life behind when he turned professional in 2013 and then teamed up with well-known trainer Joey Gamache. He briefly returned in 2018 when fights dried up but then in 2019 he got his big break against Fury. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had four more years of training, I\u2019ve got more experience,\u201d added Wallin, whose defeat by Fury is his only blemish in 27 outings. \u201cI know what I\u2019m getting myself into. I\u2019m much better prepared to beat Joshua than I was to beat Fury. It shouldn\u2019t be called an upset when I win.\u201d<\/p>\n
Watch Joshua v Wallin live on DAZN PPV and TNT Sports Box Office in the UK on Saturday December 23<\/i><\/p>\n