Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksander Usyk II full under card revealed
The full undercard for the much anticipated rematch between Anthony Joshua and Oleksandert Usyk has been revealed. The likes of Fillip Hrgovic, Zhilei Zhang and Callum Smith are set to be in action on August 20 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
#HrgovicZhang
Just added to the #UsykJoshua2 #RageOnTheRedSea undercard 👊
🔘 #HrgovicZhang
🔘 #SmithBauderlique
🔘 #AliNova
🔘 #JackRivera
🔘 #TabitiSpong https://t.co/18u4roGJTb
The most intriguing bout on the undercard is between heavyweight contenders Filip Hrgovic and Zhilei Zhang. The fight will be an eliminator for the IBF World Heavyweight Championship, a belt that Oleksandr Usyk or Anthony Joshua will hold at the end of the night. Hrgovic (14-0) will enter the bout as the favorite.
When the IBF intended to set the eliminator bout in February, Tony Yoka and Zhilei Zhang were reportedly the only fighters that were willing to fight Hrgovic. Since then, Yoka has lost to Martin Bakole and now Zhang will face Hrgovic.
Matchroom Boxing, who are promoting the event, and Wasserman Boxing co-promote Hrgovic. ‘El Animal’ has been tipped for big things since he turned professional. He is a former European Amateur Gold Medalist and an Olympic Bronze medalist.
Zhilei Zhang was highly thought of as a heavyweight boxer. A potential clash in China with Anthony Joshua and Zhang has often been reportedly in the works. A big fight never came to fruition, but beating Hrgovic could finally give Zhang that opportunity.
Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksander Usyk II will have the first female fight in Saudi Arabian history
Elsewhere on the card, another Matchroom Boxing prospect is in action. Somali-British prospect Ramla Ali will face Crystal Garcia Nova in a female super bantamweight contest. The pair will take part in the first female boxing fight in the country of Saudi Arabia.
Watch the highlights of Ramla Ali's last bout:
Another Matchroom Boxing fighter to feature on the card will be Callum Smith. Callum Smith appeared on the undercard of Joshua vs. Usyk 1, but has not fought since. Smith will face European Light Heavyweight Champion Mathieu Bauderlique.
The bout will be rounded out by Badou Jack vs. Richard Rivera. Andrew Tabiti will face kickboxer Tyrone Sprong. Daniel Lapin is in action against Jozef Jurko. Buddy McGirt-trained fighter Ziyad Almaayouf will make his professional debut against fellow debutant Jose Alatorre.