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The undercard for the mega-fight between Anthony Joshua and Oleksander Usyk for the unified world heavyweight championships is starting to shape up. Badou Jack looks to be the first big name added to the fight card in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on August 20.
Badou Jack ‘The Ripper’ (26-3-3) is a former two-weight world champion. The Swedish fighter has been involved in numerous exciting fights and is always a game fighter.
Jack was first spotted by Floyd Mayweather—‘Money’ was impressed enough with the fighter to sign him to Mayweather Promotions shortly after in 2013. In recent times, Jack has fought on the undercard of some of the biggest bouts in boxing.
Badou Jack first became WBC super middleweight champion in 2015 by defeating Anthony Dirrel. The Swede then successful defended his title against the likes of George Groves and Lucian Bute.
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Jack won the WBA light heavyweight championship against Nathan Cleverley in 2017. The bout took place on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather's last professional bout: his crossover fight with Conor McGregor.
Jack last fought in May 2022 against Hany Aityo in the United Arab Emirates. As expected, Jack knocked out his opponent in one round. The fight took place on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather’s exhibition bout with Don Moore.
His fight on the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksander Usyk II is set to pit him against Richard Rivera.
Richard Rivera (21-0) is more of an unknown commodity as a fighter. Whilst Rivera has had a number of fights, they have been against limited opposition. How good 'Popeye the Sailor Man' actually is remains to be seen.
Anthony Joshua-Oleksander Usyk II is a month away and details are still to be confirmed
The rematch between Anthony Joshua and Oleksander Usyk is on August 20, yet ticket details have still not been finalized. Tickets are yet to go on sale, and information about how fans can reach Saudi Arabia haven't been confirmed.
Likewise, there has been no official announcement of an undercard. Other than the Badou Jack bout, the fights on the undercard are currently unannounced. Callum Smith has been rumored to be a part of the card, and given that he was part of the last Anthony Joshua card, he seems like a feasible option.
Watch Callum Smith knock out Lenin Castillo on the undercard of Joshua vs. Usyk 1:
The fight is being promoted by Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing but will take place on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom. There could be an unwillingness from Hearn to have his own fighters fight on a rival platform. However, the opportunity generated by competing on the undercard of a major fight will be hugely beneficial to its featured fighters, regardless of what promotion they're signed to.
