Boxing fans love a match-up between two of the world’s best heavyweights. It’s recognised as the pinnacle of the sport. So what’s better than a mouthwatering heavyweight clash? How about two mouthwatering heavyweight clashes on the same night? Welcome to the Day Of Reckoning. Modern boxing events don’t get any bigger than this.

Some of the biggest names in boxing will be in the ring in Riyadh on Saturday 23 December. For British fans it’s the chance to see former world champ Anthony Joshua in action, as he gets closer and closer to a shot at regaining his titles. But the co-headline bout promises to be just as electrifying – with two former world champions on the bill.

And there are some hotly anticipated bouts being staged before those titanic clashes as well. All in all, the Day Of Reckoning is looking like the biggest and best boxing event for years, and you can see it live on DAZN with Virgin Media. Here’s everything you need to know about this truly stellar night of sporting entertainment.

What’s the story behind this event?

This festive date had been pencilled in for a unification heavyweight bout between WBC champion Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, who holds all the other titles. Nothing in boxing is ever certain, though, and negotiations are continuing for that fight. And fans will surely be more than satisfied with the alternative line-up, which gives them a chance to see some of the finest and hungriest heavyweights around today.

Joshua has had two stints as world champion, but lost his belts to Usyk in 2021, and couldn’t manage to win them back from the dominant Ukrainian in 2022. This year, however, he’s started to look like a champ again. He defeated Jermaine Franklin by unanimous decision at The O2 in April, and returned to the same venue to knock out Robert Helenius in August. There’s no doubt about it – he’s on the road to another title fight. And Saturday’s fight is a key step on that road.

What can we expect from Joshua’s fight?

Joshua’s defeats against Usyk were strange to watch. The Watford-born fighter seemed unable to impose himself on his smaller opponent, allowing Usyk to exploit his weaknesses. It was as if AJ had stopped believing he was worthy of winning a world title. But his victories over Franklin and Helenius saw him back to his best – especially his ruthless KO of Helenius, who admittedly had stepped in as a late substitute. Ahead of this fight, the WBC, WBO, IBF and WBA all rank Joshua in their top three contenders.

His opponent Otto Wallin (pictured above) is top 10-ranked by all four bodies, and the US-based Swede will be no pushover. The only loss of his pro career was to Tyson Fury in 2019, and that fight was a lot closer than many pundits predicted, as Wallin dug in and was still troubling Fury in round 12. He’s the WBA inter-continental champ and, intriguingly, he and Joshua met twice during their amateur careers. Wallin lost both, so avenging those defeats will surely be in the back of his mind.

Joshua seems particularly irritated by Wallin’s remark that the Brit “peaked” in 2018.  “People talking about how I’ve peaked have never even seen a peak in their whole career,” Joshua retorted, adding “I’m determined to win and I’m determined to get back to my peak, if that’s what they want to call it.” Surely Wallin hasn’t got under your skin, AJ?

How do they measure up?

Who is taking part in the co-headline bout?

In this fight, you get not one but two former heavyweight champs for your money. Deontay Wilder is in a similar position to Joshua: a former champ who lost his titles to a current one – Fury in his case – and fell short in his attempt to win them back. Like Joshua, he’s seen off Helenius as he fought his way back to title-contender status. Experts suggest that the most likely consequence of this event is that Wilder (pictured below) meets Joshua to decide who gets a shot at the title.

But Joseph Parker will have something to say about that. At 31, he’s the youngest and smallest of the heavyweights on show, although it’s all relative – he’s 6' 4" and weighed in at 250lb (113kg) before his last fight, a decisive KO against Simon Kean on the undercard of Fury v Ngannou. The New Zealander lost his WBO world title to Joshua in 2018 and the chance to face AJ again will be a huge motivation for him.

Wilder said that Parker “should be worried” ahead of their meeting. “Every guy I’ve faced I’ve knocked out or put on the canvas, so I’m very dangerous and he should be aware of that,” Wilder said. “I don’t think this is going to be a long-drawn-out fight. I think it will be over with before you know it.” In response, Parker can point to a record that shows he’s never lost to an American.

How do they measure up?

Who’s on the undercard?

With all that excitement at the top of the card, make sure you don’t miss the build-up. British light heavyweight Lyndon Arthur, defeated just once as a pro, is gunning for Dmitry Bivol’s WBA belt, and another Brit has the chance to win a world title when Ellis Zorro enters the ring against IBF cruiserweight champ Jai Opetaia of Australia.

You can see a hotly tipped British heavyweight in action too when Daniel Dubois takes on American Jarrell Miller, a former kickboxing champ. Dubois has already had a title shot, losing to Usyk in slightly strange circumstances when he landed what was ruled as a low blow, a decision many observers disagreed with. Usyk was allowed time to recover and then stopped Dubois in the ninth round. At 26, the Londoner has plenty of time to get back to the top and his resurgence starts here.

There’s even more heavyweight action when Croatia’s Filip Hrgović faces Mark De Mori of Australia and Russia’s Arslanbek Makhmudov takes on German fighter Agit Kabayei.

When is the Day Of Reckoning on TV?

You can see this fight on DAZN with Virgin Media from 4pm on Saturday 23 December 2023. It’s available to order from 10am on Tuesday 19 December and costs £19.99.

The event cannot be recorded and will be repeated on Christmas Eve at 7am and 5pm (last playout).

The purchase will include access to the fight and will also entitle you to redeem one month’s access to DAZN – please see details at point of purchase. Promotion is owned and operated by DAZN.

How can I order the fight?

To watch this event, you must have a TiVo® box, Virgin TV V6 box, powered by TiVo®, a Virgin TV 360 box or Stream.

TiVo® and V6 customers: Go to Home > On Demand > Live Events or press On Demand and go to Live Events. Press the red button then choose the event and follow the instructions on screen. A TV PIN may not be required. To view your booking, once purchased, go to On Demand > Live Events > Event Bookings.

Virgin TV 360 and Stream customers: Go to Home > Pay Per View rail. Press OK, then choose the event and follow the instructions on screen. A TV PIN may not be required. To view your booking, once purchased, go to Home > Pay Per View rail.