Anthony Joshua keeps it low-key as Deontay Wilder is put through his paces in Riyadh


Steve Luckings
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Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder went through very different workouts ahead of their coming bouts in Saudi Arabia.

British heavyweight Joshua, who faces Otto Wallin in Riyadh on Saturday, kept his public workout low-key, doing barely a minute of shadow boxing before he invited local youngsters into the ring.

American Wilder, meanwhile, tuned up for his clash with Joseph Parker by giving a glimpse of his awesome power during a more high octane workout with head coach Malik Scott.

Former two-time world heavyweight champion Joshua will step into the ring for 30th time this weekend on a card billed as the "Day of Reckoning", but the talk ahead of this latest bout in Saudi Arabia has swirled around a proposed clash with Wilder in 2024.

“I do want to hurt him, that’s fact,” Joshua (26-3, 23KOs) told TNT Sports, when asked about Wallin.

“This [workout] ain’t fun for me, this is just work. What will be fun is Saturday night getting my hand raised.

“All of this is really nice, but this ain’t for me. This is for the entertainment, for the viewers, for the people who have come to Saudi to watch a night of boxing. My entertainment is in the ring on Saturday night and I’m not there yet so I’ve got to stay focused.

“I’m here with you guys out of contractual obligations so I will fulfil my obligations but ultimately my true, true obligation is to fight on Saturday night.

“I need to win, I have to win and yeah, if it is destined and meant to be, it’s meant to be.”

Before Joshua stepped in the ring for his non-workout, which has been a feature of other fight weeks, Wilder discussed the pressure being put his 34-year-old rival.

Wilder (43-2-1, 42KOs) added: “It’s been so long that people talk about me and him getting in the ring. I think there is a lot more pressure on him than me.

“A lot of people talk about how he responded to media. I had a lot of media come up to me today and ask me about his behaviour. I say you all put a lot of pressure on him. He has got to focus on Otto Wallin.

“You put a lot of pressure on him, I wish everyone would back off him.”

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Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush

Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
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“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”

A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.

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Updated: December 21, 2023, 3:18 PM`