Joshua vs Povetkin: All the questions answered
Written by News on 22/09/2018
Anthony Joshua’s Wembley Stadium return is hours away, live on Sky Sports Box Office. If you haven’t booked the clash against Alexander Povetkin, here are all the questions answered…
Book Joshua vs Povetkin online here
What time is Joshua on?
The ringwalks are not due to start before 9.50pm with the first bell expected to sound 15 minutes after. Expect something spectacular, and expect up to 90,000 people cheering ‘AJ’ in. As soon as you hear ‘Sweet Caroline‘ booming out, get ready. He won’t be coming in on a double-decker bus like George Groves did, but it will be a sight to behold. Povetkin will be watching from the ring in the middle of the pitch. He walks in first.
Is Povetkin a genuine threat?
Well, he is good, very good and many people think he will be Joshua’s toughest test since Wladimir Klitschko. He’s a former world champion and has only lost once as a professional – to Klitschko back in 2013. He has worked his way up the rankings and is Joshua’s mandatory challenger. At 39 he is no stranger to big occasions or the rest of the heavyweight division.
Where’s the smart money going?
Joshua of course. He is unbeaten, he’s on home soil and 11 years younger. He’s stopped 20 of his 21 opponents so far and is Sky Bet’s 1/8 favourite to make it 21. Povetkin’s underdog price is 7/1 but given that Joshua went down and got up to win in his last Wembley appearance against Klitschko, 10/1 might be worth a punt.
What’s on the line?
The small matter of the IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight titles. Joshua has made it clear he wants to be the undisputed champion. Deontay Wilder holds the other but that’s for another day, possibly April 13, 2019. Forget that for now, ‘AJ’ needs to win on Saturday night. End of.
Who else is fighting at Wembley tonight?
Three names that are intrinsically linked with Joshua. Lightweight Luke Campbell also won gold at the London 2012 Olympics but is yet to join his friend on the world champion podium. He takes on Frenchman Yvan Mendy and it is not only a final eliminator for a world title shot, it’s the small matter of a rematch as Campbell tries to avenge a defeat back in 2015.
Lawrence Okolie is part of Team Joshua and one of British boxing’s rising stars. ‘The Sauce’ has already won the Commonwealth cruiserweight title but next on the list is the coveted British belt, held by experienced and tough Matty Askin.
The other heavyweight scrap sees fans’ favourite David Price back in action. The towering Liverpudlian not only troubled Povetkin before being knocked out by the Russian back in March, he is taking on unbeaten Sergey Kuzmin, part of the same team as Joshua’s challenger.
Who else will we see on the show?
Well out of the ring, the Sky Sports Box Office team will be crammed with Britain’s biggest names. Former two-weight world champion David Haye, the man who won at Wembley four years ago, Carl Froch, Joshua’s London rival Dillian Whyte, American analytical ace Paulie Malignaggi, former world title challenger Matthew Macklin, former cruiserweight king Johnny Nelson, and man of the moment Tony Bellew. There is every chance his next foe, Oleksandr Usyk, will be there too and with the cruiserweights about to battle it out for the undisputed honour, they could well bump into each other. Maybe even in the ring.
What time does it all kick off?
If you want to follow the build-up, Sky Sports News are at Wembley, taking us behind the scenes and watching the fans flock in. From 6pm the live event begins on Sky Sports Box Office, live and exclusive in the United Kingdom. It’ll be on Sky Ch491 or 492, like all Sky Sports pay-per-view events.
How do you book it then?
It’s quite easy, especially a Sky TV subscriber. Get your Sky remote press Box Office, select Sports and Events. Use the arrow buttons to highlight the event. Press select, and the buy screen will be displayed. Press select to confirm your order. Enter your pin if prompted. If your a cable customer contact your operator.
It’s even easier than that, if you book it online right away, right here.
What if you haven’t got Sky TV?
Well if you’re reading this you’re clearly a Sky fan and even if you’re not one of our TV subscribers, you can still book it and watch it on plenty of devices and Now TV. Go to skysports.com/boxofficelive and follow the instructions.
What if you’re out? What do you do then?
Well you can book and watch it on your smartphone or tablet if you’ve booked it via skysports.com/boxofficelive. If you’re out and about, why not check out Sky pub finder? It will help you find the nearest venue showing it. The other way is book it via your Sky remote before you leave the house and record it. It’s the only way to do that. Failing that, avoid the result if you can and book our full-length repeats, on at 9am and 4pm on Sunday.
Can you follow it right here?
You should know the answer to that… yes! Our live blog will bring you round-by-round updates, instant results, reports and reactions. If you’ve not already bookmarked us, skysports.com/joshua or skysports.com will bring you it all. Or download the Sky Sports app. Oh and turn the notifications off if you are trying to avoid the result, by the way.
After all that, what if you’re still not a boxing fan?
Try it out. Anthony Joshua is a national superstar whose popularity goes way beyond the boxing boundaries. If you didn’t know, he was a London 2012 winner. A national icon at the national stadium? It doesn’t get much bigger than that.
Watch Joshua vs Povetkin, at Wembley Stadium, on September 22, live on Sky Sports Box Office, from 6pm. Book via your Sky remote or book it online here.
Even if you aren’t a Sky TV subscriber you can book and watch it at skysports.com/boxofficelive.
(c) Sky News 2018: Joshua vs Povetkin: All the questions answered
