Eddie Hearn predicts potential pay-per-view buys for Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk 2- 'It's not in the UK'
Anthony Joshua still stands as one of the biggest draws, not only in British boxing, but globally too. Despite being the underdog in his upcoming rematch against Oleksandr Usyk, many British fans will tune in to watch the two heavyweights clash and root for their homeboy.
Ahead of fight night, Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn has been speaking with the media, where he's been showing full support and belief in his fighter.
While doing an interview with iD Boxing, the English promoter was asked to predict the potential pay-per-view numbers for the heavyweight rematch, where he replied:
"I don't know. I mean, the first fight, I think, did 700 thousand [or] 750 [thousand], it's difficult, it's not in the UK. Obviously AJ hasn't been in the UK, it was announced very late, I know there was a price increase as well, but it's a big fight."
Hearn then added:
"Somewhere around the same kind of levels [as the first fight], I'd expect. AJ's a huge draw, it's a great fight and I'm sure it'll do great numbers."
The event is likely to be a commercial success because 'AJ' seldom fails to rack in high viewing figures. To further this, Usyk represents the biggest challenge that the Watford-born man has faced thus far as a professional.
Watch Hearn's full interview here:
If Anthony Joshua can't defeat Oleksandr Usyk, who can?
Although Oleksandr Usyk is regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers, Tyson Fury remains, despite his retirement claims, the perceived king of the heavyweight division.
Fury is yet to vacate his WBC belt and has been given a deadline [August 26] to report his finalized decision to the hierarchy of the World Boxing Council.
Based off of his retirement claims, he cannot propose a threat to the Ukrainian and is therefore out of the picture for a potential opponent.
This leaves us with former world champion Deontay Wilder, who may hold the key to defeating 'The Cat.' The American stands as a deadly opponent for anybody in the heavyweight division due to his devastating knockout power.
Usyk has faced power punchers such as Murat Gassiev and Anthony Joshua, but Wilder tops the bill with 41 career knockouts. He has shown that he can shut anybody's lights out, barring 'The Gypsy King.'
View Deontay Wilder here: