Anthony Joshua has the opportunity to regain the thee world heavyweight championship belts he lost last year this weekend in his rematch against Oleksandr Usyk. Here’s all you need to know about the fight.
Where and when?
The fight takes place on Saturday August 20 in the Jeddah Superdome, Saudi Arabia. The ringwalks for the main event are scheduled for around 10.30pm Irish time but that may depend on the undercard bouts.
What’s at stake?
The World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Organisation (WBO) and the International Boxing Federation (IBF) heavyweight belts – all currently held by Usyk after he defeated Joshua at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on a unanimous decision last year – are up for grabs.
What channel is the fight on?
The fight is being broadcast by Sky Box Office at a cost of €31.95 for customers in Ireland. Coverage starts at 6pm. DAZN hold the worldwide rights outside of Ireland and the UK.
What’s on the undercard?
Badou Jack v Richard Rivera
Callum Smith v Mathieu Bauderlique (WBC light-heavyweight final eliminator)
Filip Hrgovic v Zhilei Zhang (IBF heavyweight final eliminator)
Tyron Spong v Andrew Tabiti
Daniel Lapin v Jozef Jurko
Ramla Ali v Crystal Garcia Nova
Ziyad Almaayouf v Hector Alatorre
What can I read about and watch on Independent.ie?
Eddie Hearn says that Joshua is relishing his status as the underdog as he tries tor regain the belts he lost last September, while a relaxed Oleksandr Usyk has been entertaining the media with coin tricks in Jeddah.
Meanwhile, fellow heavyweight Tyson Fury has been busy announcing a comeback before immediately retiring again.
And Katie Taylor’s much anticipated rematch with Amanda Serano is on hold once more with the Puerto Rican boxer now taking on the undefeated IBF champion Sarah Mahfoud at the Manchester Arena on September 24. A Taylor bout against MMA fighter Cris Cyborg is now looking more of a possibility.
What are the odds?
Usyk is odds-on favourite at 1/2 with Joshua 13/8 and the draw 16/1.
What are the fighters saying?
We’ll bring you quotes from both boxers once they complete the pre-fight press conference.
