Zhang Zhilei and Filip Hrgovic’s heavyweight clash on the Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk undercard has put the main event into question. The pair slipped and skidded around the ring as fans were left fearing the worst for Joshua-Usyk II.
A build-up of humidity inside the King Abdullah Arena in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia has left the canvas in a treacherous state. In the co-feature attraction Hrgovic and Zhang both struggled to stay on their feet as squeaks could audibly be heard around the venue.
In the eleventh, Zhang fell onto the seat of his trunks while Hrgovic nearly went tumbling a round later. Esteemed boxing writer, Chris McKenn took to Twitter and recommended that the canvas be changed before the final showdown of the evening.”Usyk team should be out looking for that canvas to be changed before the fight,” wrote McKenna.
While fans also voiced their displeasure online. “Watching hrgovic fight, and something is a lil dodgy about this ring, seems very slippy and there’s no water on the ring… might have to look out for this in the main event,” Tweeted one fan.
Hrgovic is now the mandatory challenger for the IBF belt which is among the three major sanctioning body titles being competed for by Usyk and Joshua tonight.
Given the fast turnaround between the co-main and main, it appears as though the organisers have not made a change to the fighting surface. On a night that has had so much drama, boxing fans around the world will be praying that there isn’t a final twist in the headliner.
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