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Joshua vs Usyk: What time is fight, undercard, latest odds, prediction and ring walks tonight

Joshua vs Usyk: What time is fight, undercard, latest odds, prediction and ring walks tonight

Anthony Joshua faces Oleksandr Usyk at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tonight with his world heavyweight titles on the line.

Unbeaten Ukrainian Usyk presents, in pure boxing terms, the greatest challenge in the British heavyweight’s career.

Joshua looked lean as he weighed in at 17st 2lb yesterday, with former cruiserweight king Usyk coming in at the heaviest of his career at 15st 11lb.

AJ is returning to the ring this weekend for the first time since December, when he successfully retained the IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO belts he claimed back from Andy Ruiz Jr with a patient ninth-round stoppage of IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev in front of a limited crowd of 1,000 fans at the SSE Arena, Wembley.

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Now more than 60,000 spectators will be present in north London for the first boxing bout at Spurs’ plush £1billion home, with Joshua facing his WBO mandatory after a pair of blockbuster, lucrative all-British unifications showdowns with Tyson Fury were placed on the backburner after an arbitration hearing ruled that the WBC champion must face Deontay Wilder for a third time, with that trilogy fight taking place in Las Vegas on October 9.

Joshua will be focussed on avoiding any slip-ups here to retain his titles and stay on track for that mammoth Fury double-header, with undefeated southpaw Usyk a very skilled, tricky and accomplished opponent whom his fellow London 2012 gold medallist expects to provide his biggest challenge since another Ukrainian, Wladimir Klitschko, in that unforgettable 11-round classic four years ago.

Follow Joshua vs Usyk LIVE by clicking here

Usyk, 34, is a former undisputed cruiserweight champion of the world who made the move up to heavyweight after stopping Tony Bellew in 2018, halting late replacement opponent Chazz Witherspoon in seven rounds in October 2019 before outpointing Derek Chisora in his only other heavyweight clash to date in London last autumn.

On tonight’s undercard, Hackney’s Lawrence Okolie makes the first defence of the WBO cruiserweight title he won against Krzysztof Glowacki in March as he battles mandatory challenger Dilan Prasovic.

Ricky Hatton’s son Campbell takes part in his fourth professional contest against Sonni Martinez of Uruguay and former super-middleweight champion Callum Smith - beaten by Canelo Alvarez in December - begins his campaign up at light-heavyweight against Lenin Castillo.

Joshua vs Usyk fight card/undercard in full

Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk

Lawrence Okolie vs Dilan Prasovic

Campbell Hatton vs Sonni Martinez

Callum Smith vs Lenin Castillo

Maxim Prodan vs Florian Marku

Christopher Ousley vs Khasan Baysangurov

Daniel Lapin vs Pawel Martyniuk

 (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

Joshua vs Usyk date, start time, venue and ring walks

Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk takes place tonight at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in north London.

More than 60,000 fans are expected in N17 for one of the biggest sporting events to take place in the UK since the coronavirus pandemic started.

Ring walks for the main event are expected before 10pm BST, though as ever the exact time will depend on the length of those undercards bouts.

The first bell is scheduled for 10:12pm.

How to watch Joshua vs Usyk

TV channel: In the UK, Joshua vs Usyk is available to watch via pay-per-view on Sky Sports Box Office at a cost of £24.95.

Live stream: Those that have purchased the fight can also watch live online via the downloadable player or Sky Sports Box Office app.

Joshua vs Usyk fight prediction

The gifted Usyk certainly has the technical skills to make tonight an uncomfortable night for Joshua, who will need to box smartly and be fully switched on to contend with the threat posed.

However, the Ukrainian lacks the power and size to really hurt the champion, while his lack of heavyweight experience is also likely to be a factor, though Joshua has commended his rival for jumping in “at the deep end”.

 (Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)
(Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)

Despite slimming down, AJ still has an obvious power and size advantage here and we are backing him to inflict Usyk’s first pro defeat with a stoppage in the second half of the fight. Let’s say round nine.

That would be a 25th win from 26 for Joshua, with a 23rd stoppage.

Joshua vs Usyk weigh-in

The weigh-ins for tonight’s event took place on Friday afternoon.

Joshua weighed in at 17st 2lb, with Usyk coming in at 15st 11lb.

Joshua vs Usyk betting odds

Joshua to win: 1/2

Usyk to win: 2/1

Draw: 16/1

Joshua to win via decision/technical decision: 23/10

Joshua to win by KO/TKO or DQ: 11/8

Usyk to win via decision/technical decision: 4/1

Usyk to win by KO/TKO or DQ: 11/2

Odds via Betfair (subject to change). Click here to find out more.

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