Sources -- Joshua, Wilder, Bivol headline loaded Dec. 23 card - ESPN

Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder will compete in separate bouts on Dec. 23 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, sources told ESPN, in what could serve as a prelude to the long-awaited battle between the former heavyweight champions next year.

Joshua will fight Otto Wallin, who gave Tyson Fury all he could handle during their 2019 meeting, while Wilder will take on former heavyweight titleholder Joseph Parker, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.

If both Joshua and Wilder come away with victories, they'll be on a collision course for a much-discussed fight between two of the division's bigger punchers. Wilder is considered by many the most devastating puncher in heavyweight championship history.

On the undercard, Dmitry Bivol will defend his WBA light heavyweight title against Lyndon Arthur, per sources.

The matchup will be Bivol's lone bout of 2023. The Russian was named ESPN's Fighter of the Year for 2022 following wins over Canelo Alvarez and Gilberto Ramirez.

Sources also told ESPN that heavyweights Daniel Dubois and Jarrell «Big Baby» Miller will square off, as will fellow big men Frank Sanchez and Junior Fa. Cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia, ESPN's No. 1 200-pounder, will also compete on the star-studded card, sources added.

Fury and Oleksandr Usyk were slated to meet for the undisputed heavyweight championship on Dec. 23 in Saudi Arabia's capital, but after Fury's tougher-than-expected win over former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, the bout was moved to Feb. 17 in Riyadh, sources said.

That left Dec. 23 open, and Saudi officials moved quickly to put together a stacked card featuring the third- and fourth-best heavyweights in the division, along with other contenders in boxing's glamour division.

Joshua (29-3, 23 KOs) is