By Charles Brun: Eddie Hearn reveals that the paperwork has been completed for the rematch between unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Uayk and challenger Anthony Joshua. The fight will be announced in early next week for August in Saudi Arabia.
The expected date for the Usyk vs. Joshua 2 rematch is either August 13th or 20th, and the deal is a 50-50 split.
Hearn says he wanted the fight to be staged in London, England, to give Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) an advantage, but Team Usyk wanted no part of that. They wanted it to take place in a country that would pay the most, the Middle East.
Next week, we’ll see if Hearn will need to extend the negotiations, as the fight has seemingly been talked about for ages, and boxing fans have grown tired of hearing about it. They want the contest to be announced already.
“The paperwork is done, and you’ll hear it as early as the beginning of next week. There will be an official announcement,” said Eddie Hearn to talkSPORT Boxing on the Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk 2 rematch.
Joshua, 32, has a new trainer in Robert Garcia, and he’s expected to try and use his size this time against Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs). It’s unclear whether Joshua has the chin or the stamina to find success with a new game plan for the rematch with Usyk, however.
Joshua likely would have been knocked out early last September against Usyk if he’d fought aggressively because a straight left shook him up from him in the second round.
Trainer Robert Garcia’s ideas about making Joshua more aggressive and using roughhouse tactics would potentially work for a heavyweight with stamina and punch resistance. Still, they’re not likely to work for the weak-chinned, poorly conditioned AJ.
His built-in flaws make it highly risky for him to attempt to use the aggressive approach that Robert will have him use.
“We will be heading out to the Middle East in August, and it will be an official announcement as early as Monday or Tuesday of next week. It’s also a 50-50 split financially,” said Hearn of the Usyk vs. Joshua II rematch.
“We’d have loved to have done the fight in London at Tottenham because it gives a fighter home advantage, but Usyk’s team wasn’t prepared to go to London when there’s four times the amount of money to go elsewhere,” said Hearn.
In terms of the outcome, it probably wouldn’t matter if the rematch between AJ and Usyk were to be staged in London, as Hearn would have liked because nothing will change.
Usyk already showed that he doesn’t mind fighting in front of Joshua’s fans, and he will not be cowed by his fans cheering each time he lands a punch.
