Oleksandr Usyk has got permission to leave Ukraine and face Anthony Joshua
Oleksandr Usyk has got permission to leave Ukraine and prepare for a rematch against Anthony Joshua.
There has been a lot of speculation recently over the highly anticipated rematch between Usyk and Joshua. 'The Cat' joined the Ukrainian military due to Russia's invasion of his home country, making the rematch increasingly unlikely to happen in the summer. Anthony Joshua even started to look for other opponents.
However, it was recently reported that the Unified Heavyweight Champion has received permission from the Ukrainian Sports Minister to leave the country. Boxing journalist Mike Coppinger took to Twitter to report the same and suggested that Usyk will begin training camp soon for a summer rematch against Joshua:
"BREAKING: Oleksandr Usyk has received permission from the Ukrainian Sports Minister to leave the country during war and will begin training camp for a summer rematch with Anthony Joshua for the unified heavyweight championship, sources tell ESPN."
Check out the tweet below:
BREAKING: Oleksandr Usyk has received permission from the Ukrainian Sports Minister to leave the country during war and will begin training camp for a summer rematch with Anthony Joshua for the unified heavyweight championship, sources tell ESPN. Story coming
It is worth noting that there hasn't been any official announcement just yet for Usyk vs. Joshua 2. While fans will be hoping to see the two cross paths as soon as possible, it remains to be seen whether the rematch will happen in the summer or not.
Anthony Joshua was gearing up to fight the likes of Joe Joyce and Deontay Wilder
With the rematch against Oleksandr Usyk seemingly being put on the shelf, 'AJ' already has his eyes set for an interim bout to take place in the summer if the Usyk rematch isn't booked. Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn had earlier discussed possible replacements for the Ukrainian during a recent interview with talkSPORT:
"I think from a southpaw perspective, which would be great preparation for the Usyk fight, you’ve got Luis Ortiz and you’ve got Otto Wallin. You’ve [also] got Joe Joyce calling AJ out. AJ talks about Deontay Wilder, which is unrealistic as far as I’m concerned, but he doesn’t want to fight a warm-up fight."
Watch Eddie Hearn's full interview with talkSPORT below: