Wallin suffered his first loss in over four years when he faced "AJ" in Riyadh two days before Christmas, with Joshua on the front foot for the duration of the fight until Wallin's corner threw in the towel before the start of the sixth round.

Reflecting on that night, Wallin said he was not prepared for how assertive Joshua was and he credited his opponent for executing a successful strategy.

“I think it surprised me a little bit, that he came out the way that he did,” Wallin told VegasInsider.com. 

“I felt like he was more assertive and aggressive in our fight than he had been for a while. I think they had a good game plan and he's obviously a great fighter. He surprised me a little bit maybe.

“Ben Davison (Joshua's trainer) and him have obviously been working hard and they have been bringing out the best of him. Like Ben said, it's not like they have had to change much, because he's already very good. They just needed to bring out the best and use his tools and what he's good at.” 

Live on DAZN: Check your region for PFL and PFL Europe on DAZN. Click here for details.