Heavyweight contender Deontay Wilder believes the pressure is mounting on division rival Anthony Joshua.

Both boxers will appear in separate bouts on Saturday in Saudi Arabia as part of the big 'Day of Reckoning' card.

Wilder will collide with fellow former champion Joseph Parker in the co-main, with Joshua headlining the card against Otto Wallin.

Wallin is viewed as a very tough southpaw opponent, and there are some observers who give him a realistic shot of pulling off an upset victory. Wallin's sole defeat, in 2019, was a twelve round decision loss at the hands of current WBC world champion Tyson Fury.

Provided Joshua and Wilder win their respective bouts, they are slated to collide in the first quarter of 2024.

Wilder worries that Joshua's mindset is all over the place.

“I had a lot of media today asking me about his behavior. I said y’all putting a lot of pressure on him. He’s got to focus on Otto Wallin, because Otto Wallin 100% is focused on him," Wilder said.

“I don’t know where Joshua’s mind is, I’m not him, I don’t know what he’s thinking about. Maybe it’s all a facade, maybe he’s ready. Maybe he’s calm, maybe he’ll prove people wrong. But at this time if I could encourage him, and I could tell him something, I would tell him don’t worry about the talks [about Wilder v Joshua].”

Joshua is still rebuilding his career after suffering back to back defeats at the hands of unified champion Oleksandr Usyk. He returned in April of this year, with new trainer Derrick James, and won a twelve round decision over Jermaine Franklin. A second bout took place in August, with Joshua knocking out Robert Helenius.

The bout with Wallin will have trainer Ben Davison leading his corner.