Anthony Joshua is back in the ring on Saturday to defend his world heavyweight titles against the experienced Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev at Wembley's SSE Arena.
It has been a year since Joshua exacted revenge on Andy Ruiz Jr with a points decision to reclaim the WBA, WBO and IBF titles in Saudi Arabia, which has since positioned him perfectly to fight Tyson Fury, who holds the WBC belt after his emphatic knockout victory of Deontay Wilder earlier this year.
This fight for Joshua will also signal the return of fans to boxing in the UK for the first time since lockdown, with 1,000 tickets snapped up in quick time, which may add a degree of pressure for AJ, who will be expected to discard his safer approach used to outclass Ruiz Jr and bring back the more aggressive version to dispatch Pulev inside the distance.
Pulev has only lost once, 28-1, to another victim of Joshua: Wladimir Klitschko, who delivered a vicious five-round beating back in 2014, but Saturday signals, in all likelihood, his last chance at becoming a world champion.
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There is plenty to catch on the undercard, including more from the heavyweight division - more of which below - but here is everything you need to know about the fight:
When and where is the fight?
The fight is set for for Saturday, 12 December at Wembley's SSE Arena in London, UK.
What time is the fight and when are the ring walks?
The fight will start around 10:30pm GMT, though there is a chance that the results on the undercard could bring the start time up somewhat.
Expect the ring walks to come just after 10pm GMT should there not be a series of early stoppages on the undercard, which will start at 6pm GMT.
© Provided by The Independent Joshua and Pulev finally get it on this Saturday
AFP
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What TV channel is Joshua vs Pulev on and is there a live stream?
Joshua is back on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK, and the pay-per-view price this time is £24.95, the same price it was for the Ruiz Jr rematch - despite Eddie Hearn insisting at the time that the enhanced price was a one-off.
You can order the fight online here and you are able to stream in live on desktop or through the app.
The fight outside the UK can be viewed on DAZN, with information about how to view the action in your region here.
When is the weigh-in?
There is no weight limit for the heavyweights, but for ceremonial purposes, you can watch the two fighters step onto the scales after the undercard fighters at 1pm on Friday, December 11. Coverage from the weight-in will be on Sky Sports Boxing's YouTube page and Sky Sports News.
What fights are on the undercard?
- Lawrence Okolie v Nikodem Jezewski - cruiserweight
- Hughie Fury v Mariusz Wach - heavyweight
- Martin Bakole v Sergey Kuzmin - WBC international heavyweight title
- Qais Ashfaq v Ashley Lane - super-bantamweight
- Florian Marku v Alex Fearon - welterweight
- Macaulay McGowan v Kieron Conway - super-welterweight
Odds
Joshua outright: 1/10
Joshua by knockout: 4/11
Joshua by decision: 7/2
Pulev outright: 6/1
Pulev by knockout: 9/1
Pulev by decision: 22/1
Draw: 25/1
© Provided by The Independent Joshua celebrates recapturing his belts after defeating Ruiz Jr
Action
Prediction
Pulev should be made for Joshua, if he can flick the switch to become the vicious finisher he was before the Ruiz fights. The straight right ought to land regularly and when Pulev wobbles, we expect the Briton to jump on the Bulgarian and finish him off to perfectly set up the undisputed fight with Fury in 2021. Joshua inside five round.
What are the fighters saying?
Joshua: "My body is just a vessel that carries my brain, so I have trained my brain more than I have trained my body. I am ready for war. I am ready for a fight and looking forward to it."
Pulev: "I will be absolutely different because I have a lot of experience from that fight and now I will be new Kubrat Pulev. It (Joshua-Fury) will be a good fight, but I don't believe that this fight is going to happen because I will win on Saturday night.
"We see a lot of mistakes from Anthony, a lot of bad sides to him. I think these mistakes, and the bad sides, stay. This was my late father's dream.
"That is why me and my brother are here. His project was that he have sons and for these boys to become boxing champions. And we are now real, this is now fact. He looks from above and I'm sure he's happy. He wants to win on Saturday night with me."