ANTHONY Joshua returns to the ring on Saturday as he puts his WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO world heavyweight belts on the line against Oleksandr Usyk.

Joshua knows he needs to win in order to keep his dreams of being undisputed heavyweight champion alive.

A crowd of 67,000 is expected to attend the bout with Ukrainian Usyk, who has previously held all the belts at cruiserweight.

This is everything you need to know about the fight.

What time is Joshua vs Usyk?

Coverage of Joshua vs Usyk will begin with the undercard at 6pm.

Ring walks for Joshua and Usyk ae expected to begin at 10pm.

Dorset Echo: Anthony Joshua during a weigh in at The O2 London. Credit: PAAnthony Joshua during a weigh in at The O2 London. Credit: PA

However, in previous bouts it has been closer to 11pm.

How to watch Joshua vs Usyk

Joshua vs Usyk is live on Sky Sports Box Office on Saturday night.

Sky customers can purchase the fight, which will repeat at 8am and 3pm on Sunday, here.

Non-sky customers can purchase the fight, which costs £24.95, here.

Joshua vs Usyk weights in stone

Anthony Joshua weighed in at 240lbs (17st 2lb) ahead of the defence of his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles against Oleksandr Usyk at Tottenham Hotspur this weekend.

There was an unusual focus on the scales at Friday afternoon’s weigh-in. While the heavyweight limit is uncapped, there has been speculation that Joshua has appeared leaner than usual in the build-up to this bout.

But he will be heavier by more than a stone against Usyk, the former undisputed world cruiserweight champion who came in at a career high 221.25lbs (15st 11lb).

As well as a 19lbs weight advantage, Joshua will have the edge in height and reach and is favourite with bookmakers, but Usyk’s movement and overall technical skillset from an awkward southpaw stance have led many seasoned observers to conclude this will be a close contest.

What they said

Joshua said Usyk was “a good heavyweight weight”.

“Larry Holmes, those types of guys were weighing about 100kg, Lennox (Lewis) and Vitali (Klitschko) were more 107kg, Mike Tyson was about the same, so it’s not a bad weight,” Joshua said.

Joshua said he had full respect for his opponent and dismissed any suggestion the Ukrainian was afraid.

“No, no, no,” Joshua added. “How many amateur fights has he had? About 400? He’s got no fear, he’s done it loads of times.

Dorset Echo: Oleksandr Usyk during a weigh in at The O2 London. Credit: PAOleksandr Usyk during a weigh in at The O2 London. Credit: PA

“This is business. There’s respect there and I like that sometimes. Sometimes you’ve got to give a bit of needle. Sometimes you just don’t like people and you don’t even know them, that’s how it is with certain fighters.

“But with him, I don’t know how he feels about me. He might think I’m a complete idiot, but I’ve got respect for him.”

Weather forecast for Joshua vs Usyk

This is the forecast for Saturday evening at Tottenham Hotspur stadium:

  • 4pm – Overcast, 22 degrees, dry
  • 5pm – Cloudy, 21 degrees, dry
  • 6pm – Sunny intervals, 21 degrees, dry
  • 7pm – Partly cloudy, 20 degrees, dry
  • 8pm – Partly cloudy, 19 degrees, dry
  • 9pm – Cloudy, 18 degrees, dry
  • 10pm – Cloudy, 17 degrees, dry
  • 11pm – Cloudy, 17 degrees, dry
  • Midnight – Cloudy, 17 degrees, dry