Zuffa signs heavyweight who left a lasting impression on Tyson Fury.
On the 14th of September, 2019, Tyson Fury made his way over to the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, United States.
This was the third consecutive appearance in America for “The Gypsy King” since his controversial draw for the WBC heavyweight title against Deontay Wilder.
His first fight following that incredibly memorable showdown had been a two-round blowout over Germany’s 24-0 Tom Schwarz at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
This next affair was expected to be much of the same, as Fury faced someone who–while ranked #4 with the WBA and #12 with the IBF–was not deemed much of a threat at all.
Otto Wallin was a Swedish southpaw who possessed a record of 20 wins, zero losses, and one no-contest. But despite the very respectable record, his best win was likely a decision over fellow Swede Adrian Granat.
That’s why nobody really gave much of a thought to the Sundsvall man, and it’s also why everybody was so surprised at how he ended up performing.
While Wallin would come up short in a clear loss on the cards, the most memorable part of the fight was a cut he opened up above Fury’s right eye in the third round. This was further exacerbated by a 5th-round head clash that opened a cut over his right eyelid.
Fury would bleed profusely for the remainder of the fight, and while he was getting the better of the action, there was worry that the seriousness of the wound would lead to a stoppage loss for the Lancashire man.
Indeed, many fights have been stopped for far lesser cuts.
But while Wallin was buoyed by the sight of red–of course, if the king could bleed, he could surely be overthrown–it wasn’t enough to get him the victory.
However, he did leave Fury needing 47 stitches to patch up the injury.
Fury went on to have several more great nights, while Wallin was back to fighting on shows of much smaller magnitude. But over time, he gained more wins and built his profile back up.
This six-fight win streak would culminate in a decision over former unified cruiserweight champion Murat Gassiev, which was followed by a contest against another unified champion in Anthony Joshua.
While Wallin was expected by some to give the Briton some problems, he was ultimately stopped after five rounds in a one-sided defeat.
He would return with a first-round knockout over Nigerian gatekeeper Onoriode Ehwarieme, but would then suffer a two-knockdown loss to Derek Chisora.
Wallin was last in action in November, knocking out the 15-2-2 Chris Thomas. And while not much has been heard in the way of opponents since, Wallin seemingly has a much more clear future as of today.
That’s because he has now announced that he has signed with Zuffa Boxing, the new company headed by Dana White that includes other heavyweights like Efe Ajagba, Ivan Dychko, Charles Martin, and others.
Wallin against any of those names would make for some pretty interesting viewing, and they would all be sure to reveal just where the 35-year-old now is in his career.
🚨 OTTO WALLIN TO ZUFFA BOXING
âś… Heavyweight Otto Wallin has announced that he has signed with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing to join a heavyweight roster, which currently includes Efe Ajagba, Charles Martin, and Ivan Dychko among others. pic.twitter.com/Zr8iufJCYz
— EverythingBoxing | Darshan Desai (@EverythingBoxi2) April 9, 2026
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