Lawrence Okolie defends WBO belt with Callum Smith and Campbell Hatton also on bill
Lawrence Okolie defends WBO cruiserweight title against Dilan Prasovic, while Callum Smith makes light-heavyweight debut, and Campbell Hatton continues his pro journey on Joshua vs Usyk bill on September 25, live on Sky Sports Box Office
In the main event Anthony Joshua (24-1, 22KOs) defends his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles against fellow 2012 Olympic gold medallist Oleksandr Usyk (18-0, 13KOs) at the state of the art Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 25.
Today, five more fights were officially announced for the undercard:
Okolie vs Prasovic
And in chief support, unbeaten WBO World cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie (16-0, 13KOs) defends his title for the first time against mandatory challenger Dilan Prasovic (15-0, 12KOs).
It's a maiden title defence for 'The Sauce' after becoming champion with a crushing sixth round stoppage of Krzysztof Glowacki in March.
His forthcoming opponent couldn't be much closer matched on record, with just one less fight and one less KO seperating him from the champion. The Serbian is ranked No.1 with the WBO and has knocked out two undefeated fighters already during his seven-year pro career.
Smith vs Castillo
Former unified super-middleweight world champion Callum Smith (27-1, 19KOs) returns at light-heavyweight against Lenin Castillo (21-3-1, 16KOs) following a points loss to Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez last December, which ended the Liverpudlian's reign as WBA super-middleweight champion.
His first match-up at 175lbs will be against world title contender Castillo, a former WBO NABO and Latino light-heavyweight champion from the Dominican Republic. In 2019, the now 33-year-old took unbeaten WBA World champions Dmitry Bivol the distance, and he has since bounced back with a win over an 8-0 fighter in July this year.
For Liverpool's Smith, it'll his first fight in over nine months.
Hatton vs Dura
Campbell Hatton (3-0), a 20-year-old lightweight prospect, can extend his unbeaten record to four victories when he takes on Spain's Izan Dura (3-7). Two of the 21-year-old Spaniard's wins have come against unsuspecting debutants, but he hasn't won either of his last two fights.
Marku vs Prodan
The 'Albanian King' Florian Marku (8-0-1, 6KOs) attempts to build on his impressive stoppage win over Rylan Charlton in February as he challenges Maxim Prodan (19-0-1, 15KOs) for his IBF International welterweight title, which the Romanian won in 2019 and defended successfully in February this year.
Ousley vs Baysangurov
Unbeaten Chicago middleweight Christopher Ousley (12-0, 9KOs) also meets Russia's Khasan Baysangurov (21-1, 11KOs) for the WBA Intercontinental title – a belt once held by Martin Murray.
Adam Smith, Head of Boxing Development for Sky Sports, said: "Joshua vs Usyk will be an unmissable evening of action, with Lawrence Okolie, Callum Smith and Campbell Hatton all featuring on a bumper bill at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
"We've followed Lawrence Okolie's career since the start and he'll be determined to light up north London with an explosive defence of his WBO cruiserweight belt.
"Callum Smith is on a collision course with new world title rivals, having joined the light-heavyweight division, and Campbell Hatton continues his journey up the pro ranks with the help of Matthew and Ricky Hatton.
"AJ and Usyk then take centre stage as two Olympic gold medallists collide in the capital, in a hugely important world heavyweight title clash!"
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