Otto Wallin, the Swedish heavyweight who nearly shocked the world in September by opening a massive cut on Tyson Fury, believes he has contracted COVID-19 and has quarantined himself in his Manhattan apartment for over a week.
Wallin, 29, said he lost his sense of taste and smell, but hasn’t been tested for the disease because he does not want to deprive someone with more serious symptoms of receiving a test, which remains unavailable to some who seek one.
“So, I felt like I had a fever but I didn’t. And, then like I was starting to get better, and then all of a sudden I lost my smell and taste,” Wallin told TMZ Sports. “I felt a little off but that was about it. I probably would have gone about my normal life if I didn’t know that this was going on. So I’ve been quarantining since [March 15].
“It’s better to save the tests for those who really need it and take some pressure off the hospitals.”
Wallin (20-1-1), who suffered the lone loss of his career to Fury in a fight that left Fury needing 47 stitches, said his mother had recently visited him in New York and returned to Sweden with symptoms of the coronavirus. Wallin’s mother’s boyfriend tested positive for COVID-19.
“They wouldn’t test my mom because her symptoms was like a flu,” Wallin told Boxingscene.com. “She had a high fever, but nothing worse really than a flu. And for me, it’s been even lighter. I was debating with myself if I had symptoms or not. I was sneezing and coughing, but not too bad. When I lost my smell and taste, that really confirmed it.
“I feel fine. That’s kind of the scary part. I haven’t been feeling bad, but I most likely have it. That’s why everybody needs to follow the guidelines and stay inside as much as possible and keep practicing social distancing. It can be really serious to some people.”
