Well, it's my pleasure to bring into the podcast today the heavyweight contender Otto.
Valleen Otto. It's been a while since I've talked to you. I
mean, I covered your fight with Ti Sepia. I've watched how your career
has gone since then. You've won six fights in th ro you have now
landed a very big fight with Anthony Joshua, which we're going to get into.
Thank you very much for doing this. How's everything going. I think
it's going well. Thank you. I'm really excited about this opportunity, so
it's nice that it's finally happening. Well, I'm happy for you. I
will tell the people You're gonna fight Anthony Joshua in the main event of the
Day of Reckoning. It's a big mega card, a lot of big time
fights on that show December twenty third and riad Saturday, Arabia live on his
own pay per view, and I was really interested when I saw that this
fight was made and had heard that they had made this match. I thought
about a lot of things, but the first thing was Otto that you had
fought Maur Gassia in Turkey in September and you got to win in that fight
in a decision, and now this fight is in December, so it must
have been like right after that fight, or maybe even they had a deal
before the fight. Can you sort of walk me through how quickly things developed
once the Gassia fight was over or did this fight already have been presented to
you prior to that fight. No, I had no idea. I had
no idea, So I had to fight with Gacia, had a week off
in Turkey, I had some adivacation there, went back to Sweden for a
couple of couple of weeks, and then came back to New York. And
then early November we heard about this fight. So it was not fast at
all, or I mean it was fast when it finally happened, but before
that we didn't know about it. So then we got to call Jolie,
my manager. We went back and forth with the other side, Joshua side,
and we made a deal and I think two days, so it was
it was really things happened really fast. I was going to ask you,
I like because usually these types of fights, I mean Anthony Joshua, you
know his fights, they take a little time to developmm to be made.
But obviously the way that discard is being put together. It seems like money
is really not any object for you know, his excellency and the folks over
in Saudi Arabia that are putting this together. Did did you have any reservations
about getting back in the ring and going right back in the camp so quickly
after your fight with Gassia? I didn't actually, because we felt like I've
just been a good guy in Gassia. But I didn't take much punishment and
I didn't have any injuries or anything, so that's what we based it on.
If he had been a really tough fight, maybe I wouldn't have taken
this fight, but he wasn't, so I was in good shape already,
no injuries, felt great, So I think, yes, that fight just
gave me great momentum going is this fight well right? You should probably be
pretty sharp having just fought just a couple of months before you get in the
ring On the twenty third, I wondered, I have to be honest.
I mean, I know Anthony Joshua has not been the type of fighter that's
looked to avoid opponents. You know, He's fought a lot of good guys
in his career, been a champion two times, and you know, fought
in different countries and things along those lines. But I was a little prize
if he decided to fight outo Valleen, because you know, you're good,
but that's not his thing. You're also a south pawd I know they don't
really love fighting left haters. I've seen comments from Eddie Hern and I've watched
his performances against other southpaws, Usik for example. I mean, you guys
are different kind of southpaws. But were you a little surprised that Joshua agreed
to fight you because he really, frankly, could have had the pick of
pretty much any contender out there would have been happy to fight him, I'm
sure, and they'd have been able to make a deal. I was surprised.
I was surprised, But what I think did it was that I did
number two spot with the IBF and that tied him might become vacant. So
they probably want the number two spot to fight for for the IBS against Herkovic.
But of course I'm looking to win this fight so they can forget about
that and whatever they have plans whenever they have planned now. But I think
that I wasn't at surprised because I'm a south paw, I'm tricky and I'm
good, and he's kind of short notice for the fight and also as a
new trainer again, so I think that's all to my advent. Well,
you brought up about how you know you plan on winning this fight, and
it leads me to the question I wanted to that you just to get your
thoughst and I know you want to win. Of course, that's why you're
in the business. You know, win big fights when titles make money all
that. Certainly, the people that are putting this event together where they have
you fighting Anthony Joshua in the in the in the set, and the other
you know, major fight on the card of the Let's call out, the
you know, the i'd co feature, you know, a comin event,
however you want to describe it. They have Deontay Wilder fighting Joseph Parker.
It's very obvious based on the commentary from everybody and the way this was put
together is that the goal I think in the end is for if Joshua and
Wilder are the winner, to put them together. That's been a fight that
boxing fans have talked about, media have talked about for a very long time.
They're two huge stars, two big names, But you and Joshua,
You and Joseph Parker, you know, can alter that in a big way
if you come out victorious. And I wonder how much besides just your own
desire to be the winner and to move your own career head do you relish
sort of messing up the plans for everybody else when that's what so many people
are talking about. I think that would be so sweet. If I fell
in the fight, then they can forget about you know, the Wilder fight,
Well, they can do it anyways, who knows. I mean,
it's still a big fight, I think. But if he loses this fight,
I'm gonna move on. I'm going to be on top of the world
and one of the best fighters out there and should be in line to fight
for any title. And then Parker and Wilder. I don't think that's an
easy fight because Wilder hasn't been active. I think he has like one round
in two years, so you're right, Parker has been active. But it
depends on how Parker comes out. If he comes out trying to box,
he probably get knocked out. But if he could take it to Wilder,
then I think it could be a good fight. Yeah, I imagine that
he probably relishes the thought of messing up a lot of plans, just like
you do. You mentioned about Anthony Joshua he's now I don't I don't think
he parted ways specifically with Derek James. I think it was the scheduling that
they had and the locations of fights that made it not likely that they'd be
able to work together for this fight. So he's gonna be with Ben Davison,
And I just wonder what are your thoughts about Joshua where he is in
his career right now, having had two fights this year. Uh, you
know, looked okay in those fights after the losses, but now he's going
in with you third fight this year, but also changing trainers once again,
Uh to Ben Davison, who you know has gone against you as the trainer
for Tyson Fury. Right. I don't know Ben Davison that well, so
I don't really know what he can do about I think that Joshua is is.
I don't think evert is a good sign. When he start switching trainers
usually doesn't end well, doesn't get better usually, So I have a hard
time seeing that Ben can really change Jim will improve much in this short amount
of time, because I feel like you have to trust your trainer and they
have to trust you, and and it takes it takes time to build a
good relationship and understand what your training is asking for. So I think I
don't I don't think they can do much in this short amount of time.
Do you think, where do you think he is in his career, Anthony?
I mean, he did win two fights in a row to shake off
those losses, and now he's agreed to fight you. Is he still a
guy that you're thinking can do things? I know you're looking to stop that,
but what is your assessment of where he's at in his career now?
I think that he's still one of the best out there. He's a good
fighter. It is so suspect, but I think that there's been a decline.
Of course, I think it has been, and I think it's a
lot of a mental thing for him. I think that he feels vulnerable now.
He knows that he can lose, he knows that he can get hurt.
So I think that this timing is really good for me. I have
great momentum coming in from my last fight, and you know, like I
said a press conference, I'm gonna help Joshua. I think he's on his
way way out really and I'm gonna help him with that. I got you.
I wonder you know when you see the way that the rest of the
card shakes out your fight. Obviously we talked about Deontay and Joseph Parker,
but they got Hergovich on the card. They got to meet your Bible defending
the light heavyweight title. They got Opataia number one cruise away in a fight,
They have Daniel Duba, They've got other heavyweight fights. What do you
think about just the magnitude of the card and how load it is, and
the fact that they You're the guy opposite corner in the main event of this
huge cart. It's amazing. It's amazing. Like we didn't we just talk
about that that boxing wasn't even allowed in Sweden. Maybe that was somebody else.
I'll talk to him else. Yeah. Sorry. When I first started
boxing, professional boxing wasn't even allowed in Sweden, right, and that now
to be here fighting on a huge car like this, it's just really amazing.
I'm so happy and I feel like it worked. All the work that
I put put in over the years and all the sacrifice is finally coming.
It's finally all work it. Well, you have won six fights in a
row since your fight against Tyson Fury, a decision loss that you were extremely
competitive in. And I wondered when you think about that fight in twenty nineteen
against Tyson Fury. You fought him, he wasn't he didn't have any of
the belts, but he was the lineal champion, he was undefeated. It
was a pretty big deal. I was at that fight covering it, and
I remember when you open up that terrible cut over his eye. I think
it wound up being two cuts in total. He ended up having that forty
seven stitches. A lot of us at ringside that night thought, oh my
goodness, Otto Valley, unknown at that time, is going to pull off
the huge upset and win this fight become the lineal heavyweight champion of the world.
I think in a lot of places doctors or refs would have stopped that
fight based on the severity of the cuts that Tyson Fury had. He was
allowed to continue, you know, he based on that. He did win
the fight on points. But how often do you think about how close you
were to stopping Tyson Fury, giving him his first loss, and I would
tell you that would have changed so much about the history of the heavyweight division
seeing what has occurred since then, do you like Yeah, I mean in
a lot of places they stopped that fight, you know, yeah, yeah,
I think so too they. I mean, of course, if you
asked me, I feel like they should have stopped it. And if I
had that cut, that would definitely have stopped the fight. But you know,
he got to give some respect to Fury. He kept fighting, He
showed a lot of heart, he came through. I mean, I've been
thinking about it, of course, but I try not to think about it
too much. I feel like now, I mean, I'll move on this.
It's four years since I fought in and I want my career to be
more than just the guy to get few a good fight. So hey,
maybe a really it's a really good opportunity to set everything. Maybe a rematch
with Tyson Fury someday. But since that fight, like I said, this
is I'll just wrap up with this. You won the six fights in a
row, but you have they've been some of those fights have been kind of
smaller fights, not big TV fights. You know, I know you had
one like on a small club show, that sort of thing. Was it
at all frustrating knowing what a great performance you had put in with Fury and
that you were a you know, a bona fide contender, and that that
the bigger fights were not materializing and this one has sort of dropped in your
lap. As we talked about, Uh, but was there ever a sense
of frustration that, you know, I'm spinning my wheels, I'm I'm fighting,
I'm winning, and I just can't get traction with a big time fight.
It was very frustrating. It was very frustrating. I didn't get much
fights, didn't get really good any big fights, So it was hard.
It was hard. I mean, when you're a fighter and you don't make
you don't get big fights, you don't make any money. So, you
know, I live in New York. It's not very cheap to live here
and not getting fights. I'm at the gym twice every day, just trying
to get better, trying to you know, be ready for the fights.
But they seem to never come. At some point, but I just focused,
stayed in gym, f like it's got to come sometime. I got
to get I gotta get some shot, and finally it's here. So I'm
just so happy that I stayed in the gym, kept training, kept doing
my thing, and and U yeah, like I said, it's finally here.
But it was tough a time, really tough. But I felt like,
oh my god, I'm never going to get a big fight again.
But like, what's going on, Well, you've got the big fight now.
I wish you the best of luck in that fight. You said we
toty third against Anthony John Jatto. Thank you very much for joining me today.
I appreciate it and I wish you good luck in the match. Thank
you very much.