Sky Sports Box Office brings venues Anthony Joshua’s first fight of 2018 in a unification fight against the unbeaten Joseph Parker on Saturday 31 March at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
The WBA ‘super’ and IBF heavyweight champion Joshua, will be looking to add heavyweight champion Joseph Parker’s WBO belt to his collection, with both fighters battling to maintain their unbeaten run.
The Sky Ambassador will return to the Principality Stadium for the unification fight, having won his last defence in the same venue in October against Carlos Takam, after a 10th-round stoppage.
This will be Joshua’s second defence of the WBA belt he clinched by knocking out Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley Stadium, whilst Parker will be launching his third defence of the WBO belt. The fight has the makings of a stellar contest: both fighters boast unbeaten records, Joshua’s 20 victories all by knockout, and the New Zealander has 18 stoppages from his 24 wins.
David Rey, managing director of Sky Business commented: “Joshua v Parker over Easter Weekend? This is a fight that’s not to be missed. 2018 is going to be a great year for boxing which continues to grow in popularity. Over a million people watched Joshua v Klitschko in an out of home venue [1] and there’s no reason to believe that this bout won’t attract similar interest, making this fight a great opportunity for hotels to keep guests in the hotel bar, as well as attracting passing sports fans.”
Ahead of the bout, Sky Sports viewers will be able to enjoy a range of support programming across both TV channels and digital platforms, in addition to all the pre-fight build up from behind the scenes.
This fight is part of what will be another stellar year of boxing on Sky Sports. 2017 saw Joshua crowned the unified heavyweight champion of the world after defeating Wladimir Klitschko and then defend the title against Carlos Takam, alongside the record-breaking Mayweather v McGregor showcase. This year Sky Sports Boxing will bring customers more drama, twists and turns, with Joshua in Cardiff in March, Amir Khan returning to Sky Sports on 21 April, the long awaited Bellew v Haye rematch on Saturday 5 May, as well as action from Katie Taylor and Kell Brook.
[1] Ipsos MORI Out of Home Viewing Panel 29 April 2017