Otto Wallin raised his profile considerably following his impressive showing against Tyson Fury last month, and his team is currently sifting through his options to decide what’s next for the young heavyweight.

After losing a widely entertaining and closer than expected decision to Fury, the 6-5 Wallin will sit out the remainder of 2019 and take the next step of his suddenly intriguing career in early 2020, according to David Berlin, who co-manages the Swedish heavyweight with Zach Levin. 

The management team is also, with promoter Dmitriy Salita, fielding offers from broadcast and streaming platforms to determine who will air his next fight, as Wallin (20-1, 13 knockouts) has emerged as a fan-friendly and agreeable commodity to the networks and streaming services. His next bout will also likely take place in the U.S., where Wallin trains with Joey Gamache, and not in Europe, where most of his bouts have occurred, Berlin said.

As for what’s immediately next, Wallin’s team is open to the 28-year-old taking a developmental fight if another big opportunity doesn’t materialize, Berlin said. Wallin, who chased fights against all the title holders before he got his shot against Fury, wants a rematch with Fury and bouts with the other champions. But his team also understands that as a budding heavyweight coming into his own, there is still room for improvement and he has yet to hit his ceiling as a fighter.

“We’re open to all possibilities at this point,” said Berlin, who avoided specifics so as not to interfere with current negotiations taking place. “Otto showed that he’s one of the top heavyweights in the division, and we’re looking to keep his name in the mix for big fights and keep the momentum going. Otto is also still getting better so we’re looking to continue his rapid development. If he can’t get another big name next, then he’ll continue to develop and improve against a worthy opponent while we wait for the best opportunity out there. We’re going to allow him to rest for the remainder of 2019 and then fight in early 2020. Otto is looking for the big fights, so we’re looking forward to an exciting next year.”

Berlin said his team never thought of protesting the bout with Fury, even though it was marked by a strange episode when an ESPN reporter, Bernardo Osuna, at the direction of ESPN commentator Joe Tessitore, told Fury’s corner that his deep cut over his right eye was caused by a punch and not a butt during the fifth round, possibly influencing the behavior and subsequent strategy of Fury’s corner for the rest of the fight.

“We don’t plan to file a protest but it does call into question what the proper role of the media during a match should be,” Berlin said. “The referee should have been the one to notify both corners. Instead, it was a media member notifying Fury’s corner. That was unusual.”