Explainers

ANTHONY JOSHUA is counting down the days until his huge Christmas cracker with Otto Wallin – and he has shockingly decided to switch his trainer.Since being embarrassed twice by Oleksandr Usyk, AJ has gone on to secure a unanimous decision victory against Jermaine Franklin before knocking out Robert Helenius just four months later.
Anthony Joshua has won his last two fights since switching trainersCredit: Reuters

🥊ANTHONY JOSHUA VS OTTO WALLIN: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED AHEAD OF THRILLING SAUDI CLASH🥊
And both wins came under the instructions of new trainer Derrick James who once helped Tony Bellew throw 200 punches in each round.
But Joshua has decided to switch trainers once again and SunSport can tell fans why.
Why is Ben Davison training Anthony Joshua?
Legendary boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed that Joshua’s choice of trainer has been switched due to travel.
Hearn believes that it will take a lot out of AJ if he travels to Texas to train with James before heading to the Middle East for the huge fight.
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Speaking on Fight Hub TV, Hearn said: “It’s more about the location, I mean, six weeks out, very difficult to fly to Texas and then fly across of time zones to the Middle East.
“He’s (Joshua) been training with Ben, the last three or four weeks and Derrick James has been aware of that situation.
“It’s comfortable to train in the UK for this fight.”
Will Anthony Joshua go back to training with Derrick James after the fight?
Eddie Hearn also confirmed that AJ has NOT split with James despite switching trainers for this fight.
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Anthony Joshua has not split with Derrick JamesCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
And the boxing promoter highlighted that this is a good decision as Davison helped Tyson Fury to beat Wallin in 2019.
Hearn said: “They’re definitely working together moving forward, it’s not a split.
“It’s just time zones and training at home. This was the most effective and economic way to get it done.”
When is Anthony Joshua vs Otto Wallin? More

DEONTAY Wilder is not the only famous name in his household.His fiancee Telli Swift is a reality TV star in her own right and is often seen rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous.
Deontay Wilder pictured with his fiancee Telli SwiftCredit: Getty – Contributor
Who is Telli Swift?
Telli Swift was born on January 24, 1987, in Zambales, Philippines.
She grew up in Japan and later moved to California.
Her real name is Shuntel, only taking on ‘Telli’ once she was famous.
She began modelling when she was just three and appeared in a variety of beauty pageants.
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When did she meet Deontay Wilder?
The pair met in 2015 and began dating shortly afterwards.
Speaking to The Sun in 2019, Swift said: ” we saw each other from a distance at check-in, then again at TSA, then he finally spoke to me while we were both going to our gates.
“While we were talking my friend came – I just got out of the hospital from an infection in my leg which I thought I was going to get amputated if the antibiotics didn’t work.
“I completely stopped talking to him and told my friend what happened with my leg and he left.
“Leave it to Instagram DMs we got in touch with each other two weeks before my family reunion which so happen to be in Alabama where Deontay is from. The rest is history.”
Wilder was initially reluctant to propose over fears that he would get his heart broken again but eventually did so on an episode of Wags Atlanta.
He said: “I love the girl though. She got my heart. That’s my baby, that’s my best friend.
“Even though I know I got a real woman and I love her to death, I know that I could give my all to a person and still get f****d over. “I’m definitely not closed-minded about it, because like I said, I found my best friend.”
The proposal, on February 15 2018, was timed to coincide with their child’s gender reveal party at which the couple found out they were having a daughter.
The couple are yet to announce their wedding plans.
This will be Wilder’s second marriage after his partnership of eight years with Jessica Scales-Wilder eventually broke down in 2017.
When did Deontay Wilder divorce Jessica Scales-Wilder?
Wilder married Jessica Scales in 2009 and proceeded to have four children with her – two sons and two daughters.
Their eldest child, Naieya, has spina bifida, with the boxer often calling her an inspiration as she battles the disability.
The three others are called Ava, Deontay Jr and Dereon.
Read More in The Sun
Wilder reportedly had an affair with Telli Swift, and eventually divorced Jessica in 2017 after eight years of marriage.
Since then, Jessica has kept a low profile, focusing on being a mum to her children. More

JAI OPETAIA has been forced to make the biggest decision of his career – and it has cost him his IBF cruiserweight title.The Australian hard-hitter rose to fame after dethroning world champion Mairis Briedis in 2022.
Jai Opetaia (R) beat Mairis Briedis (L) with a broken jawCredit: Getty
Opetaia now only has the Ring Magazine to defendCredit: Getty
And since then, Opetaia has recovered from a broken jaw before securing a convincing fourth-round stoppage victory against Jordan Thompson over a year later.
But in unusual circumstances, Opetaia has lost his world title without stepping foot in the ring.
However, the decision has opened another chapter in Opetaia’s boxing journey.
Who is Jai Opetaia?
Born June 30, 1995, Jai Opetaia is an Australian boxer who was raised with a Sydney, New South Wales and Samoan heritage.
Read more on Jai Opetaia
Sport runs in his family tree as the Aussie star is related to Premier League icon Tim Cahill.
And Opetaia’s name first hit the headlines when he won the Light Heavyweight title at the 2011 Junior World Championships before qualifying for the 2012 Olympics as a Heavyweight at age 18 as the youngest ever Australian Olympic boxer.
Opetaia got the bronze medal at AIBA World Youth Championships in the heavyweight division, but failed to pass the first round at the Olympics.
However, the Australian heavy-hitter hasn’t looked back since as his professional boxing record stands at 23 wins and 0 losses – most notably snatching the IBF cruiserweight title from Mairis Briedis in 2022.
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Why has Jai Opetaia been forced to vacate the title?
Jai Opetaia was offered ‘life-changing money’ for a two-fight deal to box in Saudi Arabia along with facing Ellis Zorro on the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s thrilling fight against Otto Wallin.

🥊ANTHONY JOSHUA VS OTTO WALLIN: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED AHEAD OF THRILLING SAUDI CLASH🥊
However, the IBF would not allow permission for Opetaia to commence in battle with another opponent before his scheduled title rematch against currently injured Mairis Briedis.
As a result, Opetaia was left with an ultimatum – pull out of the Saudi fight or be stripped of his IBF cruiserweight world title.
And the Australian boxer decided to accept the Zorro fight for a reported fee of £1.5million which just leaves him with the prestigious Ring Magazine belt to his name.
Mairis Briedis’ camp had no issues with Zorro stepping in as a replacement but the IBF were not prepared to change their stance.
What has been said?
Opetaia’s team brought clarity to the situation by putting out a statement that read: “IBF world cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia has decided to vacate his world title belt.
“The move comes before his scheduled December 23 bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia against Ellis Zorro.
“With mandatory contender Mairis Briedis currently unavailable due to injury, Opetaia’s team were hopeful that they would be able to defend the belt against Zorro.
“However, the IBF declared that Briedis must be Opetaia’s next opponent despite the fact that Briedis’ team had also agreed to step aside to let the Zorro bout take place while the former champion recovers and a deal in place face Opetaia in February.”
Opetaia also said: “I fought through absolute agony to win that belt and it saddens me to relinquish it.
“I am the true king of the cruiserweight division and I’ll be defending that prestigious Ring Magazine title on December 23.
Read more on The Sun
“I look forward to getting that IBF belt back as soon as possible and adding all of them one by one.” More

ANTHONY JOSHUA takes on Otto Wallin this weekend in a massive heavyweight clash in Saudi Arabia. It will be the third time that AJ has fought in Saudi, following his clashes against Andy Ruiz Jr and Oleksandr Usyk.
Anthony Joshua will take on Otto Wallin in a big clash this weekendCredit: Getty
The Gulf state have made a big push to bring the biggest possible fights to Saudi Arabia over the last several years.
But no event has been as big as this one, with multiple big name stars fighting on the bill in Riyadh.
Not only will Joshua main event the show, Deontay Wilder also features in a fight of his own.
Brit star Daniel Dubois, cruiserweight champ Jai Opetaia and Canelo conqueror Dmitry Bivol are also set to feature.

Joshua vs Wallin undercard
As well as Joshua’s clash with Wallin in the main event, Wilder takes on Joseph Parker in the co-main.
Dubois faces drug cheat and AJ’s rival Jarrell Miller in big heavyweight fight.
Jai Opetaia defends his Ring Magazine cruiserweight title against Ellis Zorro.

Anthony Joshua vs Otto Wallin
Deontay Wilder vs Joseph Parker
Dmitry Bivol vs Lyndon Arthur – for WBA lightweight title
Daniel Dubois vs Jarrell Miller
Jai Opetaia vs Ellis Zorro – for Ring cruiserweight title
Arslanbek Makhmudov vs Agit Kabayel
Frank Sanchez vs Junior Fa
Filip Hrgovic vs Mark de Mori

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How to watch Joshua vs Wallin & Wilder vs Parker
Joshua vs Wallin will be shown live on DAZN PPV and TNT Sports Box Office as a dual broadcast.
You can live stream both events form the DAZN and TNT Sports Box Office apps, both of which are available for download onto your mobile or tablet device.
The event has been priced at £19.99. More