On the eve of their so-called ‘fight of the year’ at London’s O2 stadium on 1 April 2023, Westfield London hosted the live weigh-in for Anthony Joshua and rising US heavyweight Jermaine Franklin.

Boxing weigh-ins have become an important part of the build-up to any major fight – but this wasn’t just ‘any’ fight. As former two-time unified heavyweight champion Joshua’s first bout in over two years – and his first at the O2 (the scene of his first World Title win) since 2016 – it was a much-hyped, highly anticipated event. The weigh-in was a crucial part of the build-up to the fight itself, and gave fans the opportunity to watch the pre-match action live from the centre.

The event took over the entire Atrium, which was packed with fans eager to get a glimpse of the boxing stars, with more lining the balconies overlooking stage and the world’s media there to record every moment. Both boxers took to the stage to huge cheers from the crowd, setting the scene for the fight-of-fights to follow.

It was a knockout win for Westfield London – not least because the venue itself selected as the only site large enough to host the crowds it would draw, but with every element running so smoothly, it was worthy of a world title of its own.

Key facts

• Impressive set-up and attendance – venue saw a 32% increase from the previous week
  

• Atrium one of the few locations of its type in London large enough to put on an event of this scale
  

• Widely covered by media leading to a follow-up request for another similar event
  

Results

Between 12pm – 2pm footfall increased to 12,326, a 32% increase from the previous week.

PR coverage included features on the Evening Standard, BBC, Talk Sport plus many more.

Westfield received a second high-profile boxing weigh-in request off the back of the coverage the event received.