By Barry Holbrook: Eddie Hearn says the Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk II rematch is still being planned for May or June despite the war in Ukraine.
Hearn revealed last Saturday night that he’d be speaking with Usyk’s promoter Alex Krassyuk to finalize a date in the next week or two for the Joshua-Usyk 2 rematch in May or early June.
Today, Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) has joined up with Kyiv Territorial Defense in Ukraine to defend against the Russian invasion.
This news could prevent the rematch between Joshua and Usyk from taking place as planned by Hearn, mainly if Oleksandr will be fighting on the fierce Russian front. That would be highly dangerous for Usyk, but he’s defending his country, and it’s essential.
“I keep getting asked this question, and I feel bad saying, as far as I’m concerned, we’re moving on with the fight,” said Eddie Hearn at the post-fight press conference for the Lawrence Okolie vs. Michal Cieskal fight last Saturday night on whether Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk II rematch will be taking place or not.
“No one from Team Usyk has spoken to me to say, ‘There could be a problem,’ there are bigger things on their plate right now, I guess, quite frankly. We respect that, you know? It’s an emotional time for those guys in that country.
“We’re preparing still for May or early June, and I expect to finalize a date with [Usyk promoter] Alex Krassyuk as planned over the next one or two weeks,” said Hearn on the Joshua vs. Usyk 2 fight plans.
It might be better for Hearn to start thinking of a backup plan for Joshua if Usyk is unavailable for this fight, as it sounds like he’s got bigger things on his plate right now than a rematch.
Assuming Usyk is on the Russian front, he might not be available to leave Ukraine to fly over to England to defend his IBF, WBA & WBO heavyweight titles against Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs).
There are plenty of good heavyweights that Hearn could potentially match Joshua up against in May or June if Usyk is unavailable to fight.
The recently beaten former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder would be an ideal choice for AJ to battle at the Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium in London.
Oleksandr Usyk joined the Kyiv Territorial Defense in Ukraine to defend his country from Vladimir Putin’s invasion by Russia… pic.twitter.com/UUHZy0ADVe
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) February 28, 2022
If Hearn wants a tune-up/confidence builder for Joshua, Dereck Chisora would be ideal. A fight between Joshua and the popular Chisora (32-12, 23 KOs) would be a big seller in May or June in London.
Aside from Chisora, Hearn has Filip Hrgovic, Joseph Parker, or Zhilei Zhang with his Matchroom Boxing stable that would be ideal for Joshua to face.