Follow Mail Sport’s dwell weblog for all of the build-up and round-by-round updates of Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou on big night time of boxing in Saudi Arabia.
It’s an absolute marathon card tonight, more likely to final over 9 hours and that includes 10 fights total.
The first battle of the cardboard can be at 3:20pm UK time, which is 6:20pm Saudi time. The fights will run by the afternoon and night with Zhilei Zhang versus Joseph Parker to start out at round 10:20pm UK time.
The large one, Joshua towards Ngannou, will get underway at round 11:20pm UK time.
Check under for a full abstract!
Mail Sport’s boxing YouTube channel
I believe it will be impolite for me to not plug our Mail Sport Boxing YouTube channel.
It’s one of many foremost locations to soak up all our boxing content material, with Jeff Powell and Charlotte Daly each in Saudi Arabai and getting all of the interviews forward of tonight.
We’ve acquired Warren, Fury, Hearn and Chirsora on there proper now.
Hearn on Ngannou and Fury clashing is under. Check out the remaining too!
Anthony Joshua is ready to pocket an eye-watering £39million BEFORE pay-per-views. That’s Saudi’s interview for you.
That’s almost quadruple the bottom purse he took dwelling following his first assembly with Olekdandr Usyk on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, the place Joshua pocketed £10m plus 60 per cent of the pay-per-view income, whereas his opponent took £3m of the pre-PPV purse.
Ngannou is reportedly set to make £16million. Not dangerous going.
Read extra under.
Ngannou speaks to Mail Sport
Mike Tyson – he is been within the information currently – educated Ngannou for his bout towards Fury, which noticed him come oh so near stopping the Gypsy King in one of many greatest boxing upsets of all time.
This time, nonetheless, he has not, Ngannou informed Mail Sport earlier this week.
Unfortunately not on this camp. My full camp was right here in Saudi Arabia, I used to be right here this complete time, though I used to be coaching in Mike Tyson’s fitness center.
Both males have had their struggles. Prison. Homelessness. Sport.
Their rises truthfully make for attention-grabbing tales. You could also be familair with Joshua’s, the Brit going from Olympic gold to mega star, however Ngannou’s you could not.
Check all of it out under.
Zhang takes on Parker
Let’s discuss Zhang versus Parker.
Parker possible earned this battle by stunning Deontay Wilder in December, whereas the champion has shot to stardom after back-to-back wins over Joe Joyce – the second completely brutal.
He is favorite to win this one, however Parker is kind of a tricky cookie typically. check for each, I really feel, and a extremely attention-grabbing penultimate battle.
Joshua speaks to Mail Sport
Lots has been manufactured from the physique of the 2 fighters. That’s irrelevant, Joshua has informed Mail Sport.
It does not matter, we have got to proper. We’ll see what occurs, however discuss is affordable. I’m prepared, 100 per cent. I’m undoubtedly, undoubtedly, undoubtedly prepared.
I believe he is prepared.
The weigh-in occurred yesterday and Joshua got here in at a very good 20lbs lighter than his opponent.
Joshua has put simply over a pound on since his victory over Otto Wallin in December, going from 251lbs to 252.4lbs.
Ngannou, in the meantime, has virtually maintained weight at 272.6lbs, having been 272.2lbs for his showdown with Tyson Fury in October.
Meanwhile, Zhilei Zhang (291.6lbs) weighed in over three stone heavier than Joseph Parker (247.6lbs), with the undercard pair taking to the scales moments earlier than the primary occasion weigh-in.
Check the total particulars from the weigh-in, together with how Nick Ball and Rey Vargas fared, under.
There’s been a variety of discuss who will knock who out tonight. Hearn even finishes the video under by (once more) predicitng Joshua to knock Ngannou out.
But does he must? He is clearly the higher boxer, and will sit on the again foot, jab away, and ensure he doesn’t get hit. That’s the intention: don’t get hit.
Our chief boxing reporter, Jeff Powell, has had his say. On what’s at stake, what may occur, and the way AJ may method it.
Read it under.
Eddie Hearn promotes the undercard
Eddie Hearn has been doing what he does finest – speaking.
You heard the person. Finish work, calm down, and observe this battle.
He’s additionally been selling the undercard, that includes numerous thrilling bouts as I listed earlier.
‘An unbelievable night time of boxing.’
Nagnnou and Fury conflict
Fine, I’ll let you know.
His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Entertainment, organised the assembly, and was entrance and centre of the picture that acquired the sporting world speaking.
The Saudi official is already planning the following battle, with the winner of tonight’s foremost occasion set to tackle the winner of Fury versus Oleksandr Usyk in a while this 12 months.
It wasn’t pleasant for too lengthy, nonetheless. Ngannou kicked off… and gave Fury a little bit of a roasting, to be sincere.
Naturally, it has been fairly the build-up to this battle, and it would not be Saudi with no few celebrities concerned.
The three heavyweights who’ve been the discuss of the week gathered for a pre-fight – as an example – assembly earlier this week, and none apart from Saudi posterboy Cristiano Ronaldo was additionally there.
Quite an iconic picture actually, is not it? Click under to search out out precisely why all of them met up.
Huni vs Lerena to go forward
I discussed the undercard earlier and there are 10 fights on it, although there was threat there may have been simply 10.
Kevin Lerena is because of tackle Justis Huni within the fifth battle of the night time, in what is ready a 10-round heavyweight bout.
News broke yesterday, nonetheless, that the South African’s mom had handed away.
He revealed the information that he intends to battle on on Instagram, declaring that he’ll achieve this in her honour and carry her energy with him.
When all is alleged and finished, tonight will come down to 2 brutal heavyweights competing for a shot on the undisputed heavyweight title.
We’ve put collectively a story of the tape detailing the 2 fighters forward of the bout. Height, document, wealth… it is all in there.
Have a scan of the graphic under and take a look at our article under on it, too, if you would like.
Naturally, the eyes of the boxing world are on tonight’s money-spinning bout in Riyadh, some eyes probably nearer than the fighters would love (cough, Tyson Fury, cough).
We’ve put collectively a bit detailing how among the sport’s greatest begins assume tonight will go.
The common feeling is that somebody will get knockout out. Who, although, is splitting the pack…
Read extra under!
Joshua vs Ngannou – TONIGHT!
Good afternoon every body and welcome to Mail Sport’s dwell weblog for the large heavyweight conflict tonight between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou.
We’ll have loads of build-up to the occasion proper right here all through the day, a reporter on the bottom, and all the newest protection on the positioning for Knockout Chaos.