Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou – Knockout Chaos: Ring walk time, undercard results and round-by-round updates as the two main men are primed and ready to go, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Tyson Fury watching

Zhang lands a cuffing right hook that just seems to briefly trouble Parker.

Another quiet round, but the pace is suiting Zhang and he’s a little busier so far.

Neither man wanting to make a mistake early on. Zhang appears to have the extra power on his side as a couple of punches just whistle past Parker’s head.

Very hard to score that round, very much a feeling-out process in the first three minutes.

It’s time to get down to business as Buffer introduces Parker and Zhang. This is for the WBO interim title, meaning the winner is in line for a full title shot.

He walks out to Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’ as he stares out the camera.

He gets a big reception from the crowd. This should be good!

Parker is on his way and he even does a little dance for the cameras.

He looks supremely confident, can he see off Zhang tonight?

Tyson Fury is in Parker’s corner and offers him a few words of advice.

A reminder that Zhang weighed 291lbs yesterday. Parker is 247lbs himself, but will have a massive weight disadvantage tonight.

This should be a cracking heavyweight dust-up, and it’s very hard to pick a winner.

Pacquiao has just spoke to Sky at ringside and confirmed he wis working on his return to the ring.

He wants it finalised before he returns home from Saudi, so we could get an announcement on Conor Benn soon!

The crowd are booing Vargas but he insists he won.

He then bizarrely claims that he came to Ball’s ‘backyard’ for the fight, despite Ball being British.

Vargas says he will offer Ball a rematch. Let’s hope so, I think we’d be happy to see that again.

He asks the crowd who won the fight and they all cheer Ball. Warren indicates there will be an immediate rematch which is the least Ball deserves.

Ball points out he was the aggressor in the fight and is gutted. He can hardly speak.

One judge scored the bout 114-112 to Vargas, another scored in 116-10 for Ball, and then we have a 113-113 scorecard.

I don’t think you can make a case for Vargas winning that.

We now have just one more fight to go until AJ-Ngannou. AJ looks very focused in his dressing room. But do Britain have another world champion in Nick Ball? We’re about to find out…

Vargas deserves credit for his body work but he has not put a dent in Ball at any point.

Ball has dominated the second half of the fight, and with two knockdowns, Britain should have a new world champion!

Ball lands a big right hand but Vargas takes it well.

Ball gets him on the ropes again and lands a blow that knocks Vargas down. The Mexican complains but that’s another 10-8 round, and Ball must now be ahead on the scorecards.

Ball is the fresher man right now and is stalking Vargas around the ring.

Vargas doesn’t seem to have much on his punches now. Very little in it with two rounds to go, this could go either way.

Ball is taking over in the second half of the fight, but can be a little wild at times.

He’s making Vargas very uncomfortable, though, and that’s probably a Ball round.

Vargas is very unsettled right now as he touches down again. Once more, it’s a push.

But then Ball pushes him and lands a left hook on the way down and the referee gives him a count. Huge round for Ball again!

Best round for Ball by a mile as he badly hurts Vargas!

He lands a bit right hook and Vargas is all over the place. Ball piles on the pressure and Vargas is clinging on for dear life.

He somehow makes it to the bell and they butt heads at the end. Ball fancies this now!

Vargas crumples to the floor but once again it’s from a push rather than a punch.

Ball bullies Vargas back to the ropes and the Mexican calls him on. Ball is happy to oblgie but fails to land anything cleanly.

Vargas’ work to the body has been the difference so far, but Ball is taking the shots well so far.

Vargas is landing the classier shots, but Ball isn’t giving him a moment to breath.

He landed a good left hook midway through the round. Not much in that one, but Ball needs to start having a little more success to bank these rounds.

Ball is still trying to get on the front foot, but he is just out of range.

He may need to attack the body a little more to get some joy. Not much in it so far, but Vargas perhaps slightly ahead thanks to his greater accuracy.

Mourinho has been at ringside for a little while and has met a number of high-profile figures, but doesn’t seem to be enjoying himself much.

He has cut a disinterested figure at ringside, looking at his phone regularly as he waits for the main event.

A top promoter and manager exchange pleasantries as they meet at ringside.

Ball doesn’t want to let Vargas settle and he throws him down after a clinch. He is given a stern warning by the referee.

Vargas is ladnin some good left hooks to the body, but Ball is pushing the pace.

He’s starting to get closer and that was a more positive round for Ball.

Ball gets onto the inside on a couple of occasions and has some joy, but Vargas is a little busier and probably takes the round.

Ball aiming only for the head, perhaps a switch to the body could work.

Vargas is towering over Ball and picking his shots from range but Ball has a nice, high guard and blocks a lot.

Ball lands a jab towards the end of the round to offer him a bit of encouragement. Tight opening round.

The first bell dings and we’re off!

Fury is getting pics with some of the biggest names in sport tonight, and has now got one with the great Jose Mourinho.

Joshus is here and looks as cool as ever.

Can he hold his nerve and get a huge win over Ngannou tonight?

Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao is alongside Vargas as he walks to the ring.

Pacquiao arrived a alittle while ago, and could have his own big fight in Saudi Arabia soon as he has been linked to a fight with Conor Benn.

Ball almost sprints to the ring, he’s very ready for his shot at glory!

Now he waits for Vargas, and then we will be underway.

Ball is around eight inches shorter than his opponent tonight. Will it be a case of the bigger they are, the harder they fall?

The Brit will certainly hope so!

Ngannou’s former opponent Alistair Overeem believes the former UFC champion will have too much for Joshua tonight.

Nick Ball will get his chance to become a world champion in just a few minutes when he faces Mexico’s Rey Vargas for the WBC featherweight title.

Former Chelsea, Man United and Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho is at ringside, with the keen boxing fan taking in the action ahead of the main event.

Fury is set to rub shoulders with some more superstars of sport tonight, and he has posted a picture of himself with the Brazilian Ronaldo on Instagram.

Hearn says ‘nothing less than unified champion at 154lbs is the plan’ for Madrimov.

He insists Madrimov is ‘coming for all the belts in the division’.

Madrimov has already set his sights on unifying the division after winning a world title in just his 11th professional bout.

When asked who he wants next, he replies: ‘It doesn’t matter’ as he says he will fight anyone.

And just like that, it’s all over!

Madrimov sensed he’s hurt Kurbanov earlier in the round and leaped in with a left hook that just missed.

He kept the pressure on and hurt him with another right hand over the top. Madrimov continued to pummel Kurbanov on the ropes, and referee Steve Gray jumped in to stop the fight.

Madrimov celebrates with an acrobatic flip in the ring, he is a world champion!

Kurbanov is walking into distance with his left hand down by his side, and Madrimov lands another right over the top.

Kurbanov will have to let his hands go at some point because Madrimov is banking these rounds at the moment.

Buffer is currently backstage getting ready for the main event, and looks in good spirits just a couple of hours before one of the biggest fights of the year.

Kurbanov holds his left hand low, and Madrimov catches him with a right hand over the top.

The pace is suiting Madrimov, with Kurbanov yet to get going so far.

He has played a key role in getting the event on tonight, and Turki Alalshikh appears to like what he’s seeing so far.

Madrimov is the busier fighter and he lands a couple of clean shots including a peach of a left hook.

Classy operator and he is on top in the early stages.

Two former world champions have taken their seats at ringside ahead of tonight’s main event.

Madrimov looks to start off behind the jab and that probably nicks him the round.

Kurbanov just taking a look early on, with neither man landing anything big so far.

The light-middlweight title fight will be getting started very shortly.

Ngannou is just relaxing in his changing room with the biggest fight of his life a little over two hours away.

He looks calm and composed as he counts down the minutes until his ringwalk.

Nick Ball will be involved in tonight’s second and final world title fight, and he is already getting his hands wrapped.

He is expected to be in the ring at around 9.30pm.

A big win for Chamberlain tonight who looks set to go on to bigger and better things.

He collpased to his knees when the fight was waved off after a brilliant performance.

Undefeated heavyweight prospect Fabio Wardley expects Joshua to come out on top against Ngannou tonight.

He has tipped Joshua’s ‘overall boxing ability’ to prove the difference in the fight.

The first world title fight of the night will be up next.

Uzbekistan’s Israil Madrimov will take on Russia’s Magomed Kurbanov for the vacant WBA light-middleweight title.

That eye injury looks a bad one for Gwynne and he did well to hang in for four rounds, but Chamberlain was just a class above tonight.

Ngannou is in the building as he looks to shock the world again.

Can he beat Joshua after so nearly getting the better of Tyson Fury last year?

Turki Alalshikh is a fan of Chamberlain, and the respect is clearly mutual.

Chamberlain believes Alalshikh has ‘changed the world of boxing’ and believes he may already have his next opponent lined up for this summer.

Chamberlain has set his sights on a return to Saudi Arabia this summer, and he could have a decent chance after that brilliant performance.

He pays tribute to Gwynne, but says ‘I’m younger and hungrier’, as he sets his sights on the very best at 135lbs.

‘I’ll fight anyone they put in front of me,’ he adds.

Former world champion Amir Khan has made his way to the ringside to see if his fellow Brit Joshua can beat Ngannou tonight.

Gwynne continues to bite down on his gumshield, but he has no answer.

Chamberlain punishes him to the body on the ropes, and Gwynne can only cover up. He’s in all kinds of trouble and his corner mercifully throw the towel in.

Dominance from start to finish from Chamberlain.

The doctor takes a close look at Gwynne’s eye at the start of the round but allows him to continue.

Chamberlain lands a straight left and Gwynne winces in pain as his gumshield comes out. He knows time is against him already before that eye closes, but Chamberlain can’t miss him.

Lovely body shot and then right hook from Chamberlain who remains on top.

That right eye looks really bad for Gwynne already, and it might close completely in the next couple of rounds.

Fury has given his assessment of tonight’s main event, and believes AJ will get the job done in style against Ngannou.

Chamberlain goes on the back foot, but picks some lovely punches in the opening round.

He has already casued some bruising and a cut around Gwynne’s right eye, and Chamberlain’s body work is also have an effect.

Very dominant first round for Chamberlain.

Turki Alalshikh has played a major role in putting tonight’s event together, and he will be joined by football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo at ringside for the main event.

We saw Zhang arrive a little earlier, and now Joseph Parker is in the arena.

He also looks full of confidence after beating Deontay Wilder a little over two months ago.

We’ve had a bit of a wait but the live action is about to get back underway.

The fighters are on their way, and this should be another good fight between two well-matched boxers.

Former Love Island star Josh Denzel, who has since move into presenting, has given AJ his full backing to win in dominant fashion tonight.

That was a truly inspiring performance from Lerena after what he has been through this week, and it has been rightly recognised by Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren on X.

Both men gave it there all over the 10 rounds a little earlier, but there is nothing but respect between Huni and Lerena after the final bell.

After beating Joe Joyce twice last year, Zhang has all the momentum ahead of tonight’s fight with Parker, and he looks full of confidence in his changing room.

We are expcting him in the ring at around 10pm.

A small pause in the action for now, but up next will be an intriguing clash between Gavin Gwynne and Mark Chamberlain.

Both men have been going through their warm-ups in the changing rooms and will be making their way to the ring shortly.

Chinese heavyweight Zhilei Zhang has arrived ahead of his co-main event clash with Joseph Parker.

He weighed in at nearly 21 stone yesterday and will take some budging!

Tommy Fury has experience of fighting in Saudi Arabia, and he is targeting another huge payday against Conor McGregor.

Tyson’s younger brother has called out the UFC star as he watches tonight’s action from ringside.

Joshua has shown up at Formula One races in the recent past, and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly has wished him well in his bid to beat Ngannou tonight.

Tyson Fury is not shy when it comes to having his own unique fashion, and he has shown up tonight with a very interesting suit jacket.

Lerena ‘thanks everyone for the wishes’ after his mother’s death, and admits he should have stopped Huni in the final round, but pays tribute to his opponent for hanging in there.

Promoter Eddie Hearn has paid tribute to Lerena, calling him a warrior for fighting on just hours after the death of his mother.

A touching tribute there, and Lerena certainly did his family proud with that performance.

Huni came through a tough battle there and is now looking to potentially get on the Matchroom vs Queensbury 5v5 card.

That card is due to take place in June, with the fights expected to be announced soon.

It’s a unanimous decision win for Huni.

96-94 from two judges, while one had it 98-92 which is very harsh on Lerena.

We will have the scorecards in a few seconds. Huni has probably done enough, but it’s close.

Huge left hand from Lerena and Huni is all over the place!

Lerena goes in for the finish, but Huni somehow hangs on and has probably won on the cards. Great fight!

Lerena getting a bit of a second wind as he lets his hands go more in this round.

He lands a good right hook and then looks into the crowd. He enjoyed that one!

Then Huni lands a hard one-two right before the bell. Huni surely in front, but Lerena has been very competitive.

Less movement now as both men stand their ground and go to work up close.

Some neat uppercuts from Huni, but Lerena also has some success.

Huni definitely getting on top now, though, and is surely up on the scorecards with two rounds to go.

Lerena stars the round well, but Huni comes back strongly in the second half of the three minutes.

Lerena then catches Huni with a left hand on the ropes to let the Aussie know he is still very much in this fight.

Canadian rapper Drake has put a bet on tonight’s main event, and has become known for cursing fighters, with the person he backs often going on to lose.

But who has he backed this time, and will the curse continue?

Huni starting to find another level and he lands some clean shots on Lerena that leave the South African with a bloodied nose.

A clear round for Huni who may be just starting to move into a lead on the scorecards, and he is finally putting a dent in Lerena.

Huni using plenty of movement, you wonder whether that could become an issue later in the fight.

Lerena more flat-footed and not throwing a great deal in this round. Halfway through this 10-round contest and it’s still up for grabs.

It’s Lerena on the front foot and he lands a good left hook to the body after catching a Huni right hand on his glove.

Still nothing in this fight after four rounds. Huni the busier, but Lerena perhaps landing the slightly cleaner blows.

Perhaps feeling the effects of the last round, both men taking more of a look in round 3.

Huni slightly busier but not landing a great deal as Lerena moves forward behind a tight guard.

Will Nick Ball become Britain’s latest world champion tonight?

He has just arrived at the arena ahead of his featherweight fight against Rey Vargas that is due to take place at around 9pm.

A big left hand straight down the middle briefly wobbles Huni, and then Lerena lands clean again and Huni is on unsteady legs.

Lerena senses an early finish and goes to work, but Huni hangs in there and finishes the round well. Did Lerena empty the tank there?

Excellent fight through two rounds.

Just over four months ago, Fury was picking himself up off the canvas after being knocked down by Ngannou.

He won’t be on the receiving end of any heavy punches tonight, and looks in good spirits as he begins his pundity work for DAZN.

No settling in to this fight as both men fire in big shots right from the off.

Huni looks lighter on his feet and picked some decent counters, but Lerena looks dangerous with his southpaw left hand. Very little to split the pair.

Fury will be a very interested observer from ringside, and has given his thoughts to DAZN on how tonight’s fight could play out.

We’ve had a bit of a break from the action after Louis Greene’s first-round knockout, but the heavyweight contest between Lerena and Huni will be getting underway very shortly…

Ngannou shocked the world by pushing Fury all the way in October, with some observers feeling he deserved to get his hand raised.

Fury’s manager has spoken out on why he thinks the Gypsy King had such a tough time, and has also analysed where tonight’s fight could be won or lost.

The card has now moved onto Sky Sports Box Office, and the first bout after the switch will be a heavyweight clash between South Africa’s Kevin Lerena and Australia’s Justis Huni.

Lerena is set to fight despite losing his mother yesterday, and has vowed to honour her memory.

The big fights are set to keep on coming this year, and another one that could be on the cards is a middleweight clash between Chris Eubank Jr and Terence Crawford.

Eubank Jr only fuelled speculation by posting a fight poster on social media on Friday, with Crawford potentially set to step up two weight divisions to face him.

Francis Ngannou’s trainer, Dewey Cooper, has revealed exactly how his man has been preparing to take on Joshua tonight, giving Mail Sport an insight into his diet and workouts.

Former world champion Johnny Nelson believes Joshua should have far too much for Ngannou tonight, despite the ex-UFC heavyweight king almost beating Tyson Fury last time out.

But he has also just claimed on Sky Sports that Ngannou will definitely hit AJ, and it will depend on how the Brit reacts to Ngannou’s incredible power.

Another British star out in Riyadh is Conor Benn amid speculation that he could fight boxing great Manny Pacquiao next.

He is suited and booted ahead of tonight’s huge main event.

Olympic silver medallist Ben Whittaker has just showed up in the Sky Sports studio, and is tipping his fellow Brit to get the job done tonight.

He has urged AJ to stick to the ‘basics’ behind the jab before picking off Ngannou as the fight progresses.

Former world champion Kell Brook is in attendance and has been seen chatting to Eddie Hearn.

Brook retired after beating bitter rival in Amir Khan in 2022, but there has been speculation that he could make a return.

Will we ever see the ‘Special One’ back in the ring?

Joshua and Ngannou are set to earn £55m between them tonight, but it has not always been the smoothest road to the top.

Mail Sport has looked back at their rise from humble beginnings to being in one of the most lucrative fights in heavyweight history…

His brother, Roman, has already got another win under his belt tonight, and heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has landed a shock role for tonight’s Saudi showdown.

Louis Greene calls for a British title rematch with Sam Gilley after his first-round KO.

The pair engaged in a all-action clash last year with Gilley triumphing in a 12-round decision having put Greene down with a body shot in the fifth.

Greene wastes little time occupying the centre of the ring, keeping his hands high as he wades in and looks to rip the body of undefeated McGann.

McGann is forced to constantly retreat towards the ropes but he is unable to stifle the pressure of Greene who lands a massive right hand sending him crashing the the canvas.

After shakily returning to his feet McGann is clearly still rocked and the referee has seen enough.

Massive first-round KO win for Greene as he puts an end to McGann’s undefeated record on a huge stage.

Out action this evening continues with an all-British super weltereweight showdown between Jack McGann and Louis Greene scheduled for ten rounds.

McGann featured in October on the undercard of Francis Ngannou vs Tyson Fury, stopping the son of the legendary multi-weight world champion Roberto Duran in the second round.

The arena slowly starting to fill up with the main card set to get underway in just 45 minutes…

Tyson Fury praised brother Roman from ringside as the he extended his professional record to 4-0.

The 27-year-old still has a long way to go, but looks to be developing well despite the pressure that undoubtedly comes with the family name.

After four hard-fought rounds in the heavyweight division we go to the scorecards.

Fury is clearly still finding his feet in the professional ranks but he’s clearly got something about him as he extends his record to 4-0.

Though he doesn’t have an amateur background behind him, Roman clearly has taken to the sport and aged just 27 in an aging heavyweight divison he has time to develop.

Fury doesn’t often finish his fights inside the time, but he’s going for it here.

He’s egged on from ringside by his family.

A good left lands and rocks Savre but Fury fails to pounce on his opportunity. The end the round hugging.

A bit of a scrap to start the round. The highlights package has shown Tyson getting into it ringside.

He’s having a lot of success with his left but Savre is throwing back. Decent fight, this.

John Fury is delivering the coaching.

Four rounds here so not many.

Fury is like, well, Fury, with his weight on his back foot.

He takes one on the chin from Savre but then throws another back. Better defence from Fury than we have seen so far in his career.

The third match is here quite quickly, and it’s Roman Fury vs Martin Svare.

The latter makes his way to the ring with Tyson, Tommy, and John. The whole squad is here.

I mean, I doubt Joshua has anything to do with this post but a message has been shared on his social media accounts in the last few minutes: 30 minutes of focus.

Tonight will be ten, three minute rounds. Rounds that will shape his future.

As long as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is happy, I am happy. This is what I love to do, and when you love what you are doing you are always happy.

This is what we do, Saudi Arabia, and I’ll do it again and again and again. Put them in front of me, and they will never stand in front of me again.

With that much pressure comes so much priviledge. I can’t expect to be on the biggest cards of history and not expect the press. When you expect emotions, you can deal with them comfortably.

Almaayouf’s hand is raised and he wins on points.

Lots to learn for him, then. He has a long way to go, but is young and inexperienced.

A pay day and a workout for Flores.

Almaayouf starts the round trying to get the crowd going and the pair start the round with an embrace.

He’s still trying to finish it but Flores is a wily old fox.

Good body shots from the home man but he’s not going to end it here.

Flores is doing alright here but he’s more of a sparring partner than anything. A strong left, but not causing any issues.

Almaayouf has slowed down a bit again, feinting more upon loud instruction from his coach. It’s not a great showing, but he is just 23 and in just his fifth pro fight.

Better from Almaayouf this round, much quicker and landing better.

Two rounds to go. Lopes will need a stoppage, but Almaayouf would like to do that himself.

He will of course have his own interests, but his brother, Roman, is on the card too a little later.

The Gypsy King has arrived alongside wife Paris.

The likes of Ronaldo (R9), Jose Mourinho and Roberto Firmino are all attending tonight.

‘Don’t get lazy,’ the home fighter’s coach tells him in the corner. I think that’s to do with keeping the tempo high.

He’s still throwing well but Flores is cautious and ready to pounce after Almaayouf’s combinations.

A good left hook from Almaayouf but he can’t follow it up because he’s too far away.

We are halfway through this six-round fight.

Good hand speed from Almaayouf, and he’s trying to throw his uppercut following instruction from his coach.

Flores is definitely throwing back but the youngster continues to come forward.

Some bodyshots to end the round. A bit uneventful, but good boxing.

This fight is literally experience versus youth. A good test for Almaayouf, who already looks better than last time out.

The fight has started quicker than the last, with Flores up against the ropes for a lot of that round.

Good shot selection from the home favourite. The crowd getting behind him.

Ziyad Almaayouf and Christian Flores have made their ways into the ring and we are ready for the evening’s second fight.

Almaayouf is 4 for 0 and from Saudi Arabia, receiving the backing of those fans that are in attendance. Flores is 14 for, er, 35. Two draws too.

Super lightweight action.

David Haye has given quite a brutal opinion on the crossover event.

It would be terrible for boxing if an MMA fighter comes over and beats him, what does that say for boxing, the heavyweight division, all of the belts?

It’s important to remember this is Ngannou’s second fight. He hasn’t won one yet, despite his success in MMA.

Could it be a danger? We may see.

In the spirit of UFC – boxing crossover, Molly McCann has weighed in on the debat of who she thinks will win tonight and has fired a warning to Anthony Joshua.

Dana White previously described one of Ngannou’s punches as ‘being equal to getting hit by a Fprd Escort going at full speed’, and many, like Meatball Molly, have suggested that could be the different.

I think it’s important to stress that Ngannou has shown more than just power so far – combinations, judging distance, etc. But, yeah, read more on that below.

A look inside the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.

Like I say, it’s empty, but it will fill up soon. 26,000 fans are expected to attend.

The winning combo from Novytskyi included an illegal shot to the back of the head but it was only a matter of time anyway.

He moves onto bigger and better things. That was actually the first time Torres had been stopped in his six defeats, but he was poor.

Ziyad Almaayouf versus Christian Flores is next.

Another good left-right combo from the Ukranian early on. He may have hurt Torres at the end of the last round and the underdog hits the canvas, but he’s pulled down.

He’s walked onto a lot of punches here.

This time he goes down! Nice combination, Torres shakes his head on his knees, and the referee waves it off. Oxygen for the American in the aftermath.

About as one-sided as it gets.

Torres has come out swinging in the second round but he’s absolutely all over the place, I’ll be honest. He can’t get close.

Novytskyi throws an upper cut in this round and it’s another of domination for the six-foot-six fighter.

The jab as impactful too. 20-18 it is.

The bell rings for round one then and it’s a bit of a slow start from both fighters but there’s a lot of time. Early control from Novytskyi with a few straight left jabs.

Torres has a huge height disadvantage and also with his reach. He’s takes a few shots to the face, a few body shots, and Torres is on the back foot despite going for a big shot himself.

It’s a matter of time. Could be the next round.

There’s been a lot of talk that Novytskyi could be the future of the heavyweight division. I’m not sure this one will go too long.

Torres has however promised to go on the attack from the start.

Both fighters have made their entrances to pretty much no one.

Haye has just mentioned that Joshua will now have a fight of Ngannou’s to assess in terms of analysis. Fury won’t have had that.

Ngannou said it too to us earlier this week. I wonder how much of an impact that has.

Anyway, we’re about to get underway with the first fight of the night. The stadium is empty, but we will start nonetheless.

David Haye and Ariel Helwani are on punditry for DAZN ahead of the prelims.

Strap in everyone, because it’s about to get busy.

‘The liklihood of hearing the final bell is slim,’ Haye says.

DAZN’s coverage of the prelim fights gets underway at 3pm UK time and we will start with Andrii Novytskyi versus Juan Torres in a heavyweight contest.

Ukranian Novytskyi is 28 and undefeated from nine fights. Torres is 37 and 11 for five from 16 fights, though is on a seven-match win-streak.

The size difference is quite laughable.

There will be eight, three minute rounds in that one.

The predictions seem quite split for tonight. The classic boxer, or the MMA powerhouse?

Joshua is the favourite. But what if it doesn’t go to plan for him?

Where would he go next? Facing Usyk – likely ever again – would be off the cars. A bout with Fury would be possible but unlikely.

Wilder? Whyte? Retirement…?

Read what we think below.

Something a little bit more light-hearted…

Charlotte has been playing ‘Guess the FIghter’ with Eddie Hearn, and the promoter scored four out of five.

Check it out below on our Facebook page, and see how you get on yourself.

Back to the potential knockout…

Tom Aspinall has joked that he is going to quit the UFC after learning of Francis Ngannou’s punching power.

Aspinall could be seen hitting a PowerKube punching machine – which measures the force generated in a punch by speed and accuracy – in a recent social media video.

He didn’t even get close to Ngannou, and, I won’t lie, it was quite funny.

Read how strong Ngannou truly is below.

I think it would be rude for me not to plug our Mail Sport Boxing YouTube channel.

It’s one of the main places to take in all our boxing content, with Jeff Powell and Charlotte Daly both in Saudi Arabai and getting all the interviews ahead of tonight.

We’ve got Warren, Fury, Hearn and Chirsora on there right now.

Hearn on Ngannou and Fury clashing is below. Check out the rest too!

Anthony Joshua is set to pocket an eye-watering £39million BEFORE pay-per-views. That’s Saudi’s interview for you.

That’s nearly quadruple the base purse he took home following his first meeting with Olekdandr Usyk at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, where Joshua pocketed £10m plus 60 per cent of the pay-per-view revenue, while his opponent took £3m of the pre-PPV purse.

Ngannou is reportedly set to make £16million. Not bad going.

Mike Tyson – he’s been in the news lately – trained Ngannou for his bout against Fury, which saw him come oh so close to stopping the Gypsy King in one of the biggest boxing upsets of all time.

This time, however, he has not, Ngannou told Mail Sport earlier this week.

Unfortunately not in this camp. My full camp was here in Saudi Arabia, I was here this entire time, although I was training in Mike Tyson’s gym.

Both men have had their struggles. Prison. Homelessness. Sport.

Their rises honestly make for interesting stories. You may be familair with Joshua’s, the Brit going from Olympic gold to mega star, but Ngannou’s you may not.

Let’s talk about Zhang versus Parker.

Parker likely earned this fight through shocking Deontay Wilder in December, while the champion has shot to stardom after back-to-back wins over Joe Joyce – the second absolutely brutal.

He is favourite to win this one, but Parker is quite a tough cookie in general. A good test for both, I feel, and a really interesting penultimate fight.

A lot has been made of the physique of the two fighters. That’s irrelevant, Joshua has told Mail Sport.

It doesn’t matter, we’ve got to right. We’ll see what happens, but talk is cheap. I’m ready, 100 per cent. I’m definitely, definitely, definitely ready.

The weigh-in took place yesterday and Joshua came in at a good 20lbs lighter than his opponent.

Joshua has put just over a pound on since his victory over Otto Wallin in December, going from 251lbs to 252.4lbs.

Ngannou, meanwhile, has practically maintained weight at 272.6lbs, having been 272.2lbs for his showdown with Tyson Fury in October.

Meanwhile, Zhilei Zhang (291.6lbs) weighed in over three stone heavier than Joseph Parker (247.6lbs), with the undercard pair taking to the scales moments before the main event weigh-in.

Check the full details from the weigh-in, including how Nick Ball and Rey Vargas fared, below.

There’s been a lot of talk about who will knock who out tonight. Hearn even finishes the video below by (again) predicitng Joshua to knock Ngannou out.

But does he need to? He is clearly the better boxer, and could sit on the back foot, jab away, and make sure he does not get hit. That’s the aim: do not get hit.

Our chief boxing reporter, Jeff Powell, has had his say. On what’s at stake, what could happen, and how AJ could approach it.

Eddie Hearn has been doing what he does best – talking.

You heard the man. Finish work, settle down, and follow this fight.

He’s also been promoting the undercard, featuring a number of exciting bouts as I listed earlier.

‘An unbelievable night of boxing.’

His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Entertainment, organised the meeting, and was front and centre of the photo that got the sporting world talking.

The Saudi official is already planning the next fight, with the winner of tonight’s main event set to take on the winner of Fury versus Oleksandr Usyk later on this year.

It wasn’t friendly for too long, however. Ngannou kicked off… and gave Fury a bit of a roasting, to be honest.

Naturally, it’s been quite the build-up to this fight, and it wouldn’t be Saudi without a few celebrities involved.

The three heavyweights who have been the talk of the week gathered for a pre-fight – let’s say – meeting earlier this week, and none other than Saudi posterboy Cristiano Ronaldo was also there.

Quite an iconic photo really, isn’t it? Click below to find out exactly why they all met up.

I mentioned the undercard earlier and there are 10 fights on it, though there was risk there could have been just 10.

Kevin Lerena is due to take on Justis Huni in the fifth fight of the night, in what is set a 10-round heavyweight bout.

News broke yesterday, however, that the South African’s mother had passed away.

He revealed the news that he intends to fight on on Instagram, declaring that he will do so in her honour and carry her strength with him.

When all is said and done, tonight will come down to two brutal heavyweights competing for a shot at the undisputed heavyweight title.

We’ve put together a tale of the tape detailing the two fighters ahead of the bout. Height, record, wealth… it’s all in there.

Have a scan of the graphic below and check out our article below on it, too, if you want.

Naturally, the eyes of the boxing world are on tonight’s money-spinning bout in Riyadh, some eyes potentially closer than the fighters would like (cough, Tyson Fury, cough).

We’ve put together a piece detailing how some of the sport’s biggest starts think tonight will go.

The general feeling is that someone will get knockout out. Who, though, is splitting the pack…

It’s an absolute marathon of a card tonight, likely to last over nine hours and featuring 10 fights overall.

The first fight of the card will be at 3:20pm UK time, which is 6:20pm Saudi time. The fights will run through the afternoon and evening with Zhilei Zhang versus Joseph Parker to start at around 10:20pm UK time.

The big one, Joshua against Ngannou, will get underway at around 11:20pm UK time.

Check below for a full summary!

Good afternoon one and all and welcome to Mail Sport’s live blog for the big heavyweight clash tonight between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou.

We’ll have plenty of build-up to the event right here throughout the day, reporters on the ground, and all the latest coverage on the site for Knockout Chaos.

Where would you rather be? I cannot wait.