ANTHONY JOSHUA returns to a packed-out UK stadium on Saturday and while it may not be against the man we all wanted it to be, a special night is in store all the same.
Three years have passed since his last stadium appearance against Alexander Povetkin at Wembley, and despite Tyson Fury not being in the opposite corner here, this showdown with former cruiserweight king OLEKSANDR USYK is a fascinating one in its own right.
Just under 70,000 fans will fill Tottenham Hotspur's glistening new ground in what should be a real celebration of post-pandemic sport on these shores, with British boxing's golden boy the star of the show. The stage is set for Joshua to shine once again and spark euphoria in the stands by retaining his three heavyweight belts. After all, a good big 'un beats a good little 'un, right?
Well, it's far from that simple here, not least because Uysk is no ordinary little 'un.
As I mentioned in my talking points piece earlier in the week, the Ukrainian brings a dazzling set of skills and a stunning CV to the party, albeit it at a lower weight. The achievement of unifying all the belts in the 200lb division by his 15th professional fight is impressive enough on its own, but even more so when you consider he did it on the road and largely in the backyards of his opponents. Add to that the manner in which he cleaned up - never looking like getting beaten and doing so in a style that defies his size - and you can see why he is so revered in boxing circles. That's the reason why, despite Joshua (2/5) holding all the advantages in size, power and territory, the visitor is 'only' a top price of 9/4 to pull off yet another away victory.
There is more world title action on the bill as LAWRENCE OKOLIE makes the first defence of his WBO cruiserweight strap against Dilan Prasovic.
Okolie was brilliant in winning the belt against former champion Krzysztof Glowacki in March, boxing well behind his excellent jab before ending the fight with a beautiful right-hand in the sixth session. That was only his 16 outing as a professional and highlighted the progress he has made since being coached by Shane McGuigan.
Prasovic is also unbeaten (in 15) but has faced nowhere near the same sort of opposition as Okolie, who has stopped his last six opponents and should make it seven against this overmatched mandatory challenger. The 14/1 underdog likes to come forward and often does so with his hands down, which spells trouble against a power puncher like Okolie, and the visitor can walk on to a big one soon enough, possibly in ROUNDS 3-4.
An interesting contest that has the potential to be fight of the night is Maxim Prodan versus FLORIAN MARKU.
Both are unbeaten, with one draw apiece, and there has been plenty of bad blood during fight week. However, Marku, who is a very warm 1/9 favourite, knows that obliging the heavy-handed Prodan in a tear-up would level the playing field considerably and it would be no surprise to see him not deliver on his promise of going toe-to-toe.
He did the same thing against Ryan Charlton last time, and we have seen the outsider struggle with movers in the past, so the value here may be MARKU BY DECISION at 9/5 in this 10-rounder.
Posted at 1030 BST on 24/09/21
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