By Aljohara Zarea

JEDDAH — World heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and his top rival Anthony Joshua conducted open training on Tuesday before the media in preparation for the biggest boxing event yet in Saudi Arabia.

Usyk and Joshua showcased their fighting strength in separate sessions in an exciting atmosphere, where they also shared their impressions and preparations for the big fight on Saturday.

Joshua stated after conducting the open training session that he has been here in Jeddah for over a month, and Saudi Arabia is considered his second home

“The previous experiences were helpful and I have learned a lot, but I don’t know how much it will help me”, “I’m focused and ready to get the job done” Joshua said

“One of my main strengths is that I’m a quick learner, I’ll do my best and that’s all I can do,” he said, while concluded his speech by saying that "We are going knockout”

While Usyk said when asked about how much he learned about Antony Joshua from the first fight "I have been watching Joshua for 10 years already."

Usyk was also asked about how difficult it was for him to focus on his training during the previous period, especially with the war in Ukraine. He replied: "But I did it."

Before the entry of Usyk and Joshua, the open training for the media presented boxers who will be participating in the secondary fights on 20 August. They began with live training by Emirati boxer Rashid Belhasa, then Jordanian Bader Al-Samreen, followed by American Andrew Tabetti.

Among the participants of the secondary training were Saudi boxer Ziyad Al-Maayouf, who put up an impressive show, followed by Sweden’s Badu Jack, French boxer Matthew Baudrillic, Britain’s Callum Smith, China’s Zhang Zhilei, and finally Filip Hrgović from Croatia.

The demonstrations, open to the public, were attended by former American professional boxer Evander Holyfield, who is known for “The Bite Fight” with Mike Tyson on June 28, 1997. During the match Tyson bit off a part of Holyfield's ear.

British former professional boxer Naseem Hamed also attended the open training.

Rage On The Red Sea, which will take place in Jeddah on Saturday, 20 August, is considered one of the most important sporting events around the world to be held in Saudi Arabia. It is also an extension of many international sporting events hosted by the Kingdom in recent years.