"If there is [a delay] you are talking about two weeks" - Eddie Hearn hints at delaying the Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk II heavyweight title fight
Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk are set to have a rematch in July. Promoter Eddie Hearn has said that an announcement has been imminent for weeks, but there may now be a delay:
"We have agreed a deal with the site and the date. The working date of July 23rd. We are pretty much ready to announce. If there is [a delay] you are talking about two weeks. You are talking about no other reason other than time and making sure that we can promote the fight in the right way... Both sides have agreed everything. It's just probably taking 10 days longer than we wanted to."
Watch the interview here:
Eddie Hearn has always maintained that the rematch will take place. July 23 and the location of Saudi Arabia have been mentioned the minute the rematch was confirmed to be taking place.
Anthony Joshua had a rematch clause instilled into his contract for the first fight. As such, nearly crowned WBA, IBF and WBO World Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk must face Joshua.
The same scenario has occurred before in Joshua’s Career. AJ lost his titles to Andy Ruiz and then evoked a rematch clause. Joshua then successfully regained his titles in Saudi Arabia. Now Joshua is hoping to return to the same country and once again regain the WBO, IBF, and WBA World Heavyweight Championships.
Anthony Joshua Oleksandr Usyk II was plagued with uncertainty at the start
Initially, there was much uncertainty as to whether there would be an immediate rematch. Anthony Joshua has decided to change his training team and it is possible he will have a few warm-up fights before the big one. Joshua now looks to have joined up with Robert Garcia for the rematch.
Oleksandr Usyk also looked to be spending time away from boxing. The Ukrainian had returned to his homeland due to the ongoing war with Russia. Usyk posted videos from Ukraine showing him taking part in the war. Usyk then decided that the best way to highlight the situation back home would be to defend his Heavyweight Championships against Anthony Joshua.
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Both fighters are willing to take part in the rematch and have agreed to a deal. The fight is still likely to take place in Saudi Arabia sometime around July 23. At this point, neither fighter would have fought for a year. The period of inactivity may however benefit Joshua, allowing him more time to work with a new training team.