By Huck Allen: Just moments ago, Oleksandr Usyk announced on his social media site his intention to begin training for his rematch with Anthony Joshua.
Promoter Eddie Hearn will need to negotiate with Usyk’s management the date and venue of the rematch. Joshua, 32, is fully committed to the rematch, willing to risk what’s left of his shattered career.
The #1 heavyweight in the world is ready & willing to head into no man’s land to take on a fighter that proved last time to be vastly superior to him.
On paper, it’s a foolhardy move on Joshua’s part in taking on Usyk again, but you’ve got to respect his warrior spirit for wanting to at least try.
Even if Joshua loses again, he can still come out of the fight a hero if he fights bravely, getting off the deck once or twice to finish on his feet.
Hearn has recently said that Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) only wants the rematch with Usyk to try and avenge his loss from last September and to win back his IBF, WBA, and WBO heavyweight titles.
Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) had been in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began over a month ago, defending his country.
Unless decided otherwise, Joshua vs. Usyk II rematch will be taking place in late June, possibly in London. That’s where Hearn wants the fight to take place.
Although many boxing fans have advised Joshua not to fight an immediate rematch with Usyk, this is what he wants. Joshua believes, rightly or wrongly, that he can win the second fight by being more aggressive and steamrolling the smaller fighter with his size.
It’s a battle strategy that is worth a try on Joshua’s part. Last time, Joshua’s focus was on attempting to beat Usyk at his own game by boxing him. That was Joshua’s Plan-A, and surprisingly, he didn’t have a Plan-B strategy.
When things went poorly in the early going, Joshua continued to try to box with Usyk, and things got steadily worse for the British fighter as the contest progressed into the later rounds.
Hearn is backing Joshua every step of the way, not resisting his idea of taking the immediate rematch without a confidence booster in between. It’s understandable on Hearn’s part why he wouldn’t want to be the voice of reason.
If Hearn were to question Joshua’s logic in running it back, it could plant seeds of doubt in the mind of the former champion, and that’s the last thing he needs now.
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