A scrappy start to the second round sees Vargas take a knee but he is bundled over — rather than knocked over — by Ball. Vargas gets back to his feet and the pair come together in a tangle of limbs once again, but this time Ball lands a good — and legal — uppercut on the break.

Ball is making this very difficult for Vargas. He’s getting rough on the inside and is also ducking down when he defends himself, making Vargas stretch all the way down to land his shots. It’s a slightly bizarre spectacle but it’s an intriguing one.

Anthony Joshua faces Francis Ngannou knowing a statement victory could open up one of the most exciting periods in his career as he targets becoming a three-time world heavyweight champion; watch Joshua face Ngannou live on Sky Sports Box Office on Friday March 8.

Whether relaunch or retaliation, his renewed pursuit of boxing’s pinnacle resumes in less orthodox circumstances on Friday when he pits his knockout exploits against that of former UFC star Francis Ngannou. A stoppage victory beckons as the latest statement on his targeted route back to heavyweight glory, while threatening a sharp jab to the Tyson Fury tale in light of the Gypsy King’s uncomfortable encounter with Ngannou late last year.

Ngannou wanted the biggest and the best were he to sacrifice UFC supremacy for his childhood dreams of stepping inside the ring. So he came to Fury and now he comes to Joshua, the latter of whom’s influence as a beacon of his era has helped sell yet more historic crossover combat in Saudi Arabia’s heavyweight playground.

The career of Ngannou has unfolded minus the burden of expectation such is his underdog background, while in contrast there may be no British fighter of the last decade that has shouldered as much pressure to succeed as Joshua during his gold-medal-springboarded rise to fame.