By Charles Brun: Oleksandr Usyk’s promoter Alex Krassyuk revealed on Monday that discussions are underway to potentially stage the rematch with Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia for late June.
Joshua is no stranger to fighting in Saudi Arabia, and he’s batting a thousand in there after defeating Andy Ruiz Jr. by a one-sided 12 round unanimous in their rematch in December 2019.
With Joshua’s track record in Saudi Arabia, he shouldn’t have too many complaints about returning there unless there’s a pressing need on his part to bring the rematch back to the UK.
“This location is under discussion at the moment,” Usyk’s promoter Alex Krassyuk said to Sky Sports about the rematch with Joshua potentially being staged in Saudi Arabia. “Late June is also the timing we are considering now.
“Many things will depend on how fast we manage to ink the papers,” Krassyuk continued about the Joshua vs. Usyk 2 rematch. “The good thing is that Usyk is already in Europe to start his preparation.”
It makes sense on two levels to stage the Joshua-Usyk 2 rematch in Saudi Arabia In the first place, the money is likely better for the fighters than they would receive if they staged the rematch in the UK, which is where Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn would like to stage it.
One gets the sense that Hearn wants Joshua to have as much support as possible to help him across the finish line.
With AJ’s career teetering on the brink of collapse, it’s understandable why Hearn has been banging the drum to bring the rematch back to England.
Given that Usyk won the first fight with Joshua, staging the rematch in Saudi Arabia would be the righteous thing to do rather than pressuring him to return to the UK.
In some respects, it would be better if Joshua were to win the rematch because if Usyk beats him again, that would essentially close the door on the rivalry and likely send AJ into retirement.
If Joshua were to win the rematch with Usyk in June, it would set up a rubber match between the two later this year. Anyway, that would be an ideal situation.
The reality is that Usyk will probably school Joshua for the second time, and knock him into a permanent retirement with the win. Joshua hasn’t looked like his old self since he was outgunned by Andy Ruiz Jr in their first fight in June 2019.
That loss for Joshua did something to him mentally and perhaps physically as well. He’s looked like a confused fighter ever since, someone afraid to go on the attack, and completely lost inside the ring.
Even though Joshua beat an out-of-shape Ruiz in the rematch and then defeated 40-year-old Kubrat Pulev, he looked timid in both fights.
“That’s how I will help my country more and it’s better than being in territorial defense and running around Kyiv with a machine gun,” said Oleksander Usyk on Instagram on his decision to take the rematch with Joshua.
“He was psychologically beaten up as well as hurt in the last one,” said Barry McGuigan to Secondsout about Joshua in his defeat against Usyk last September at Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium in London.
“He looked like he was about to go,” McGuigan said about Joshua being hurt in the 12th round by Oleksandr.
“He has to make a radical change and use his physicality. He can’t stand off and try to be physical with Usyk. That’s such a stupid idea. Whoever gave him that tactic was completely moronic.
“He has to walk the guy down, put him under pressure, use his physical power and try and take him out of there,” said McGuigan on what Joshua needs to do for him to possibly win against Usyk in late June.
