2 weeks ago
3 Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev headlines a cracking night of boxing action in London tonight.
Britain’s Joshua, the heavyweight world champion, will return to the ring after 12 months away to put his belts on the line against IBF mandatory challenger Pulev in front of 1,000 people at Wembley Arena.
Joshua is back in action on Saturday as he faces heavyweight rival Pulev<b></b>Mark Robinson/Matchroom
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And there will be plenty of action to enjoy before the main event as Lawrence Okolie and Hughie Fury will both be under the lights this weekend.
Here’s a full rundown of who will be in the ring on Saturday night…
Joshua v Pulev: Undercard
The undercard will get going from 5pm.
The first fight – Qais Ashfaq v Ashley Lane – will be shown live for FREE on Matchroom’s YouTube and Facebook pages.
You can watch in YouTube HERE or on Facebook HERE.
Sky’s coverage will then get under way from 6pm with a further five bouts before the main event of Joshua vs Pulev.
Up and coming cruiserweight Okolie is the chief support act as he looks to take his unbeaten professional record to 15 wins.
He had been due to face Krzysztof Glowacki for the vacant WBO cruiserweight title but he tested postive for COVID-19 last week and was forced to pull out.
Nikodem Jezewski has stepped in as his replacement but, as he is ranked outside the top 15 by the WBO, only an international title will now be on the line for the Brit.
“For me the most important thing is fighting, the (world) titles will come,” the Hackney boxer insisted.
“It is a good opportunity to put in a mature performance and my trainer Shane (McGuigan) said he will not be happy unless I do certain things, so I will make sure I do.”
Hughie Fury, cousin of world champion Tyson, will be in action against Mariusz Wach, who lost to Dillian Whyte last year.
Airdrie-based Martin Bakole, who has sparred with Joshua in the build-up to his fight with Pulev, will be aiming to clinch the WBC international heavyweight title when he takes on Sergey Kuzmin.
MAIN EVENT: Anthony Joshua v Kubrat Pulev – for WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles Lawrence Okolie v Nikodem Jezewski – WBO international cruiserweight title Hughie Fury v Mariusz Wach – heavyweight contest Martin Bakole v Sergey Kuzmin – for vacant WBC international heavyweight title Florian Marku v Jamie Stewart – welteweight contest Kieron Conway v Macaulay McGowan – super-welterweight contest Qais Ashfaq v Ashley Lane – super-bantamweight contest (Live on Matchroom Facebook and YouTube)
Lawrence Okolie and Nikodem Jezewski Weigh In ahead of their cruiserweight fightMatchroom
Joshua v Pulev: How to watch
The fight will be shown live on Sky Sports Box Office with their broadcast starting from 6pm.
It will be available for £24.95, with the full undercard and main event shown.
You can also live stream for the same price on your computer, mobile and tablet devices through the Sky app and website.
Sky Sports Box Office is also now available on BT TV. There are two ways to make the purchase – by tuning to channel 496 or by searching for the event in the BT Player.
Hughie Fury will face Mariusz Wach this weekendgetty
Joshua v Pulev: What has been said?
Anthony Joshua will ditch the cautious plan which saw him beat Andy Ruiz Jr and look to finish Kubrat Pulev with a knockout, according to his promoter Eddie Hearn.
“Against Ruiz, he came in really light because he knew he needed to move,” Hearn told talkSPORT. “For this fight, I think he wants to do more damage and go back to the wrecking ball machine we all know and love.
“Pulev is very good, he’s only lost once to Wladimir Klitschko, he’s got an excellent jab and he’s the No. 1 challenger.
“It’s going to be tricky for the first few rounds, and as always in AJ fights, there will be some ups and downs, a few hairy moments, but I think he’s going to look really good and you’ll see a devastating knockout.
“AJ is not one of those guys who likes to box and move for 12 rounds and stay out of trouble, not trying to finish his opponent.
“He’s a wrecking ball, he loves to knock people out, he’s fast, he’s strong, he punches very hard. That’s him and he’ll never change.
“The Ruiz fight showed him that sometimes you have to be a bit smarter. Tomorrow night, you will see a little bit of boxing, but when he hurts Pulev, he’ll be as dangerous as ever and he’ll be looking to finish the job.”
English (United States)