BOXING fans are set for a stunning night of action when Anthony Joshua rematches Oleksandr Usyk on August 20.
The Brit will try and win his WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO belts back from the formidable Ukrainian on what could be an unforgettable occasion in Saudi Arabia.
Fans shelling out to watch the main fight on PPV are likely to get their full money’s worth – with a brilliant lineup of undercard fights having been confirmed.
They include TWO world title eliminators that are unlikely to disappoint.
Man mountain Croatian Filip Hrgovic will take on China’s Zhang Zhilei in the IBF heavyweight division’s final eliminator.
With both men unbeaten, something will have to give on August 20.
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Hrgovic and Zhang were initially set to fight on May 7 on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez’s defeat to Dmitry Bivol.
After Hrgovic pulled out for personal reasons, Zhang instead made light work of America’s Scott Alexander.
The second eliminator will see Brit Callum Smith take on Frenchman Mathieu Bauderlique.
This bout will be a WBC light-heavyweight title eliminator.
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Upon the fight being announced, Smith tweeted: “Back to Jeddah. Last time I was crowned World Champion. This time I’ll earn my shot at my second.”
On his last trip to Saudi Arabia, Smith defeated George Groves for super-middleweight gold.
He was last in action on the undercard of Joshua’s first fight against Usyk at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last September, when he defeated Lenin Castillo.
Also on the undercard will be 22-year-old Ziyad Almaayouf in his pro debut against veteran Hector Alatorre.
Ramla Ali will take on Crystal Garcia Nova in what is set to be a historic bout.
Ali vs Nova will be the first ever professional women’s boxing match to take place in Saudi Arabia.
On the magnitude of the occasion, Ali told ESPN: “It’s such a monumental thing to happen in Saudi.
“Me and my opponent, we’re essentially making history together so it’s not just me. It’s someone else as well, we’re both going to be the first females to be in Saudi.”
Former middleweight and light heavyweight champ Badou Jack will be in action on the night when he takes on Richard Rivera.
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Tyrone Spong, who last boxed in 2019 but took part in an MMA event with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Eagle FC promotion in January, will take on Andrew Tabiti.
While Daniel Lapin will be back in action to take on Jozef Jurko.
Filip Hrgovic will be in action on August 20[/caption]
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