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One of the biggest fights of the year goes down Saturday at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, as IBF and WBA heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua (20-0, 20 KO’s) takes on WBO title holder Joseph Parker (24-0, 18 KO’s) in a highly anticipated unification bout.
In the United States, the event is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on Showtime (there will also be a replay broadcast at 10:35 p.m. ET). If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can watch Showtime live on your computer, phone or another streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
Amazon Prime: If you have Amazon Prime or want to start a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, you can watch a live stream of Showtime through Amazon Channels, which comes with a free 7-day trial. Once you’re signed up for both Amazon Prime and the Showtime channel, you can watch a live stream of the fight on your computer via the Amazon website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Amazon Video app
Hulu With Live TV: If you want an extensive Netflix-like on-demand streaming library in addition to live TV, Hulu now also offers a bundle of live channels, with Showtime available as an add-on. You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and if you add Showtime when signing up, you can then watch a live stream of the fight on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app.
FuboTV: The Showtime channel can be added to your existing FuboTV subscription, or you can include Showtime when you start a free 7-day trial. Once signed up, you can then watch the fight live on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app.
Preview
For years, as Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko dominated the heavyweight class and refused to fight each other, interest in the division waned. But once the Klitschko Era came to an end, it didn’t take long for the division to resurface as one of the most compelling in boxing.
Saturday night marks the culmination of heavyweight’s rise back to prominence.
Joshua, the 28-year-old former Olympic gold medalist from Great Britain, has already transformed into one of boxing’s greatest stars. Not only is he the sole world champion with a 100 percent knockout rate (20 KO’s in 20 professional fights), but his Fight of the Year win over Wladimir Klitschko last April vaulted him to the next level of stardom.
Parker, 26, may not be as big of a star, or quite as dominant, but his record is similarly free of blemishes all the same. After winning the vacant WBO heavyweight title in a fight against Andy Ruiz in December 2016, he defended twice in 2017, beating Razvan Cojanu via unanimous decision in May and Hughie Fury via majority decision in September to run his record to 24-0.
As such, when Joshua and Parker touch gloves on Saturday night, it will be just the second fight between undefeated heavyweight world titleholders, with Mike Tyson vs. Tony Tucker serving as the first all the way back in 1987.
“A match like this is a very big deal,” Parker said. “As a fan of boxing and as a fighter, we love to watch the big fights and be involved in the big fights. So we’re pretty happy to be involved in the fight. I think it’s the best time for us to be involved in a big fight like this. We’re both undefeated, we both have titles, we’re both world champions and we both want to unify the division, so it’s going to mean a lot and it’s a big occasion.”
There’s a potential fight that looms that would be bigger than this one in Joshua vs Deontay Wilder (40-0, 39 KO’s), but Saturday’s battle, which is expected to take place in front of a sold-out crowd of 78,000, is still very much a big deal. Considering the stakes at hand, the perfection of both fighters, and the potential for fireworks between two guys who have promised action, this is undoubtedly a must-watch fight.