United States
United Kingdom
Summary
- Joshua vs. Usyk Rematch gets postponed yet again
- Broadcast issues pushes rematch to August 2022
- Eddie Hearn Confirms Joshua will fight in August and December
The much anticipated rematch between Brit Anthony Joshua and Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk has hit another snag resulting in another delay. The rematch has been pushed from June to July and now to August with no date being confirmed as of now.
The fight was pushed back initially because Usyk was on the frontlines fighting the war for Ukraine and defending his country against a Russian invasion.
While Usyk’s camp appears ready to go in July, issues with the broadcasters have resulted in another delay.
Broadcast Dispute Pushes Fight To August
Saudi Arabia is reported to be hosting this mega heavyweight fight as they were the highest bidder paying out $120 million to host Joshua vs. Usyk 2. The fight was set to be broadcasted by Sky in the UK while DAZN was in charge of live streaming for the international market. It appears that the broadcasters need more time to work out some of the issues that they are facing.
The delay might also be a blessing in disguise to the two fighters and also to Saudi Arabia who is reported to be setting up a new stadium for the fight with special air condition to combat the soaring temperatures in the desert that will be well over 40’C in August.
The additional time will allow Usyk, the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight to put on some of the muscle that he lost when he was on the frontlines defending his country.
Hearn Confident Joshua Will Fight Twice In 2022
Anthony Joshua’s manager, Eddie Hearn isn’t too concerned with the delay as he factored in a potential delay due to the circumstances surrounding this fight. Boxing fans remain sceptical as to whether this fight will really take place in August or if it will be pushed back further as Hearn is yet to confirm an official date in August.
However Hearn isn’t sharing those same concerns as he is confident that Anthony Joshua will fight in August and then once more in December to close out the year. Joshua switched trainers after his loss to Usyk and is expected to fly out new trainer Robert Garcia from the US to the UK to prepare for his rematch with Usyk.
