The August 15th Showtime Championship Boxing broadcast will feature heavyweights Otto Wallin (pictured) and Travis Kauffman in a ten-round showdown at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Both men will be dealing with their own mental issues: Wallin (20-1, 13 KOs) will return to the ring for the first time since losing a competitive fight to Tyson Fury in September 2019, while Kauffman (32-3, 23 KOs) trained for this fight wihtout the guidance of his longtime trainer Naazim Richardson, who was ill and passed away very recently.

 

Wallin nearly shocked Fury, now the WBA champion, when he opened up a gruesome cut over Fury's right eye with a legal punch that nearly halted the fight. While the 29 year-old Wallin lost a decision, he proved his mettle as a legitimate heavyweight. Representing his native Sundsvall, Sweden, Wallin trains in New York with former champion Joey Gamache. "I'm very happy to finally be back in the ring," said Wallin. "It's been a long and crazy year in many ways and it feels great to be getting ready to step back into the ring. I've been training steady since the Fury fight and I feel like I've developed my game in a lot of ways. Kauffman is a tough veteran that can both come forward or box if he wants to. He's a fan friendly fighter and I have to be ready at all times. We have a great game plan as always and I'm in excellent shape. I know I have all the tools to beat Kauffman."

 

A veteran of the heavyweight landscape, Kauffman owns a ledger that includes challenges of top heavyweights including Luis Ortiz, Chris Arreola and Amir Mansour, amongst others. The Reading, Pennsylvania native lost his most recent bout to Ortiz, following a 2018 triumph over Scott Alexander.

 

"This is my first training camp in seven years without Brother Naazim Richardson, but I know that he wouldn't want me to leave camp and he'd want me to stay focused," said Kauffman. "Having him pass away while I was in camp was one of the hardest things I've had to deal with, but there's adversity in every camp I've had. I wouldn't feel right if there wasn't adversity to overcome. My father, Marshall, stepped back in as my head trainer. We know we're facing a young, hungry fighter, but I have more experience than him and I don't think he can last 10 rounds with me when I'm at 100% like I'll be on August 15th."

 

Additional non-televised action will include super middleweight contender Alantez Fox (26-2-1, 12 KOs) battling Ghana's Habib Ahmed (27-1-1, 18 KOs) in an eight-round attraction.