Eddie Hearn says the Anthony Joshua vs. unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk targeted date is July 23rd in a handful of potential sites in the Middle East & the UK. The U.S is not in the running for the fight.
Hearn expects to have the location and date nailed down soon for the Joshua-Usyk rematch. As long as Team Usyk is agreeable to the location, we could have this happen fairly quickly.
It seems like it’s taken forever to pick out a date & location for the rematch after the two heavyweights battled seven months ago in September.
Ideally, Hearn would want the rematch to take place back in London because that would work to Joshua’s advantage, but Usyk will have something to say about that idea.
Obviously, the delay in the rematch helps Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) because he needs as much time as possible to work with his new trainer and to help forget his disappointing 12 round decision loss to Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) last September at Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium in London, England.
“Probably the front runner right now, that date,” said Eddie Hearn to Dazn boxing show. “We’re in final negotiations with a number of sites in the Middle East and the UK. America, I don’t think this is going to take place,” Hearn said about the location of the Joshua – Usyk rematch on July 23rd.
“I just think he needs to stabilize his team, have a clear gameplan in place and they work on it and they believe it,” said Audley Harrison to talkSport Boxing on what Anthony Joshua needs to do for him to defeat Oleksandr Usyk in the rematch. “I think he’ll have a chance to turn it over.
“Joshua is coming in, he turned pro, won the Olympics like myself, but fundamentally, he didn’t have 300 fights,” Audley continued. “He came through quick.
“He went through the ABAs quick, went to the [2012] Olympics, and he did amazing because he was out of his depths in terms of his experience. Then he turned pro and then quickly goes through a world title.
“Then he got with Emanuel Steward and changed trainers along the way. So, he went away with Emanuel, and he finished him off in the same way he did with Wladimir [Klitschko]. When he got with Wladimir, he finished him off.
“So, Joshua hasn’t had that finishing off yet in terms of his fundamentals. He’s a great fighter, but fundamentals just like Tyson Fury and Sugarhill, those fundamentals, he [Joshua] doesn’t have yet.
“He needs fundamentals and certain tricks to beat Usyk. When he fought Usyk the first time, none of those tricks were in evidence. So when he got a little tired and a little frustrated, he wasn’t able to make those adjustments,” said Harrison.
