RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA (December 22, 2023) DiBella Entertainment’s Kiwi heavyweight Junior Fa, of Otahuhu, New Zealand, returns on Saturday to take on undefeated Cuban Frank Sanchez in a 10-round bout, as part of the “Day of Reckoning” event headlined by Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin. The stacked card takes place in Saudi Arabia tomorrow beginning at 11:00am EST on DAZN Pay-Per-View. The fight is promoted in association with DiBella Entertainment and Warriors Boxing.

Fa (20-2, 11 KOs) is coming off of a first-round knockout against Tussi Asafo in Australia. In September, Sanchez (23-0, 16 KOs) knocked down Scott Alexander en route to a fourth-round stoppage to retain his WBC Continental Americas title.

“It’s been nothing but a pleasure to be here,” said Fa of his time in Saudi Arabia. “It seems like this is where our sport is going. I’m taking it all in. It’s been hard work to get here and I just can’t wait until Saturday because I finally get to fight.

“Sanchez is a good boxer, he’s got good skills,” said Fa. “I trust my team and my game plan. I trust myself. I’m going to peak at the right time. I’m going to bring the best version of myself and get him out of there. I’m going to win by any means necessary.”

Fa’s preparation for this fight included being a part of Deontay Wilder’s camp for his bout versus Joseph Parker on Saturday’s card.

“Deontay Wilder…it’s no secret with him,” said Fa. “The man hits hard, and you have to be sharp every second that you’re in there with him, and that’s exactly what I’m planning to do when I’m in with Frank Sanchez. I need to be sharp every second that I’m in there with him. Keep my wits about me, stick to the game plan, and come away with the win.”

“Junior Fa has the talent, size and tools to be a top heavyweight. He has already shown that he can compete against the best, going 12 hard round with former heavyweight champion Joseph Parker,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “Tomorrow night against Frank Sanchez, he has a great opportunity to prove he belongs with the division’s best fighters.”

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Former unified Heavyweight king Anthony Joshua has heaped praise on his new gym mates at the Ben Davison Performance Centre in Harlow, Essex ahead of his blockbuster showdown with Sweden’s Otto Wallin in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia this Saturday December 23. The British star headlines a historic night of boxing this weekend at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh – live on DAZN PPV –  that features some of the biggest World Champions and leading contenders on the planet, including Matchroom stablemates Dmitry Bivol and Jai Opetaia. Two-time Heavyweight World Champion Joshua (26-3, 23 KOs) is no stranger to fighting in Saudi Arabia, having exacted revenge over Andy Ruiz Jr to regain his Heavyweight crowns on an unforgettable night at the Diriyah Arena back in 2019 before pushing Oleksandr Usyk all of the way in a narrow loss at Jeddah’s King Abdullah Sports City Arena in 2022.  In preparation for his latest main attraction in the Kingdom, Watford’s Joshua has been training under the watchful eye of Davison alongside the likes of Matchroom’s former WBA Featherweight World Champion Leigh Wood, Tokyo 2020 Olympic Silver Medallist and rising Welterweight star Pat McCormack and Super-Bantamweight contender Shabaz Masoud – and the 34-year-old says he is happy with his new training environment. “In terms of camp, I respect all of the fighters,” Joshua told Matchroom Boxing. “They’ve been there before me. To go in there, I’m aware I’ve got to be respectful of their space as well. I’m not in there like the big Charlie like, ‘yeah I’m here now’. Nah, I respect everyone there, I show them love. “I’m a big supporter of boxing. Everyone wants to do well. Everyone just wants to push themselves. So I’ve gone in there with that energy – ‘come on let’s go, let’s push ourselves, how can we get better?’   “Me and Jeamie TKV (Tshikeva) we do our crunches and our abs together, me and Leigh Wood do circuits together, Shabaz (Masoud), Pat (McCormack), Luke (McCormack) and all of the other boys in there. I respect the coaches as well. “It’s a really good environment that gym. I’m happy I was there early enough that I basically had a full camp for this fight. Even though it came up at a late stage like seven weeks out, I’m really happy that I was in training camp early on because this opportunity I didn’t want to miss for the world.” An unprecedented line-up on a single night of boxing, the ‘Day of Reckoning’ sees former WBO World Champion Joseph Parker takes on the Bronze Bomber and former WBC World Title holder, Deontay Wilder, with IBF No.1 contender Filip Hrgovic fighting Mark De Mori in another Heavyweight shootout. Also on the unmissable card, undefeated WBA Light-Heavyweight World Champion Bivol defends his belt against Manchester’s Lyndon Arthur, while Ring Magazine Cruiserweight king Opetaia meets Bromley’s Ellis Zorro – and London 2012 Olympic Champion Joshua is ready to help deliver an early Christmas present for fight fans around the world. “This is the best fight card in history,” said Joshua. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen one like this. Most fight cards you know, you put it on but you’re outside, you’re on the phone, you’re eating, you’re cooking and when the main even comes on you rush back to your seat. This one you want to be sat down from start to finish. Make sure you tune in.” The ‘Day of Reckoning’ comes after the ‘Battle of the Baddest’, which was held on October 28 during the opening of Riyadh Season 2023, in which Tyson Fury defeated Francis Ngannou. The fourth edition of Riyadh Season, themed “Big Time,” offers many entertainment options and experiences. It continues to attract visitors from across the globe to Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, during the winter months, providing them with the opportunity to partake in thousands of concerts, exhibitions, and other distinctive entertainment events. Notable celebrities and prominent international brands contribute to the grandeur of this occasion. Tickets for events and experiences in the zone can be reserved through the WeBook application by accessing the following link: http://onelink.to/wbkapp

ESPN and Top Rank, together with DAZN, will bring “Day of Reckoning”, a double main event featuring heavyweights Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin and Deontay Wilder vs. Joseph Parker, to ESPN+ PPV.

The event is available for purchase on ESPN+ PPV in the United States, in addition to DAZN PPV.  “Day of Reckoning” will take place on Saturday, December 23, live at 11 a.m. ET from the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

ESPN+ subscribers can purchase the $39.99 PPV here, separate streaming subscription required.  New subscribers can sign up for ESPN+ here.  ESPN+ is available on ESPN.com and the ESPN App for mobile and connected TV devices.

“Day of Reckoning” is the third boxing event on ESPN+ from the ESPN and DAZN collaboration following the X Series PPV event in Oct. and Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz in August.

Double Main Event:

• Former two-time Unified World Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua (26-3, 23 KOs) will face Otto Wallin (26-1, 14 KOs), who pushed lineal champ Tyson Fury to the absolute brink in a 2019 thriller, Wallin’s only career loss.
• Power-punching American KO artist and former WBC world title holder Deontay Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs) co-headlines against former WBO World Champion Joseph Parker (33-3, 23 KOs).

Additional PPV Highlights:

• Undefeated WBA Light Heavyweight titlist Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) puts his world championship on the line against Lyndon Arthur (23-1, 16 KOs). One of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world, Bivol’s resume includes a May 2022 victory over Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in a Las Vegas PPV main event.
• The card also features many of the top 10 heavyweights in the world including former WBA titleholder Daniel Dubois, #1-ranked IBF contender Filip Hrgovic, #3-ranked WBC contender Arslanbek Makhmudov and #4-ranked WBC and WBO contender Frank Sanchez.

Read more about the full card at ESPN.com.

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Schedule (All Times ET)

Date	Time	Event	Fights	Championship	Platform
Sat, Dec. 23	11 a.m.	Main	Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin		ESPN+ PPV (non-exclusive) *Separate Purchase
		Co-Feature	Deontay Wilder vs. Joseph Parker
		Undercard	Daniel Dubois vs. Jarrell Miller
		Undercard	Dmitry Bivol (C) vs. Lyndon Arthur	WBA Light Heavyweight
		Undercard	Arslanbek Makhmudov vs. Agit Kabayel
		Undercard	Jai Opetaia vs. Ellis Zorro
		Undercard	Filip Hrgovic vs. Mark De Mori
		Undercard	Frank Sanchez vs. Junior Fa