Oleksandr Usyk vs Anthony Joshua rematch: Undercard confirmed to include historic women’s match in Saudi Arabia | Boxing News
Ramla Ali will make history for women’s boxing when she takes on Crystal Garcia Nova in Saudi Arabia in Anthony Joshua’s rematch with Oleksandr Usyk on August 20.
Somali-British prospect Ali (6-0, 1 KO) and Nova (10-2, 10 KO) will become the first female boxers to feature in an official international event in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , clashed in a super-eighth match. – weight class competition.
The bottom match continued with Croatian heavyweight Filip Hrgovic (14-0, 12 KOs) against China’s undefeated Zhilei Zhang (24-0-1, 19 KOs) in the final elimination match for the title. IBF Heavyweight World Champion. The original rivals were set to clash in the Canelo Alvarez vs Dmitry Bivol match in May.
Hrgovic is 3rd in the IBF standings and the showdown will name the obligatory challenger for the title held by Usyk of Ukraine.
“I respect a fighter like Zhilei Zhang, especially because there are so many other people who can fight me but can’t,” Hrgovic said.
“Respect is still outside the ring, and it will be normal business for me to go in there and find a way to do what I do best; push people away.
“There’s a huge amount of money at stake in this fight. I’m a top boxer in this division, and there will be no doubt about this when Zhang is dealt with and I will continue to beat anyone. any of them Usyk or Joshua.
“I’m entering my prime, and now is the perfect time to take on the top fighters in this tournament. I’m going to be the heavyweight champion of the world.”
Elsewhere in the standings, Liverpool’s Callum Smith (28-1, 20 KOs) – ranked as the No 1 contender for the WBC belt in the light-heavyweight division – will face Mathieu Bauderlique (21-1) , 12 KOs) in the final elimination for the world title currently held by Artur Beterbiev.
Smith was the last in action in the first meeting between Usyk and Joshua at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September, knocking out Lenin Castillo with a brutal second-half KO to return to victory.
“The last time I was in Jeddah, I was crowned the best super middleweight in the world, so I have fond memories of the place,” Smith said.
“The whole experience was amazing and the fans really supported me, so I’m really looking forward to coming back next month.
“I won’t be going in this time as world champion, but it’s a tough fight on a great card and one that will create a challenge of being #1 in the rankings. light-heavyweight.”
The rest of the ‘Rage over the Red Sea’ card:
- Former world second division champion Badou Jack (26-3-3) vs Richard Rivera (21-0, 16 KOs) in a 10-round cruiser belt match
- Andrew Tabiti (19-1, 15 KOs) and Tyrone Spong (14-0, 13 KOs) collide in an eight-round heavyweight competition
- Ukrainian light heavyweight Daniel Lapin (5-0) faces Jozef Jurko of Slovakia (9-6-1, 6 KOs)
- Ultralight prospect Ziyad Almaayouf faces Mexico’s Jose Alatorre (0-1)
The biggest match in women’s boxing history – Claressa Shields vs Savannah Marshall – is live on Sky Sports on Saturday, September 10. Be a part of history and buy tickets to the London match here.