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Summary
- Saudi Arabia set to offer big money to host heavyweight fight
- Oleksandr Usyk vs. Anthony Joshua to take place in June 2022
- Usyk will get permission to leave Ukraine and fight Joshua
Saudi Arabia is most likely going to be the preferred location to host the heavyweight rematch between former champ Anthony Joshua and current WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO champ Oleksandr Usyk.
One of the main reasons why Saudi Arabia is likely to be the preferred location is because Saudi Arabia is willing to offer big money to host the heavyweight rematch.
The Saudis paid close to $80 million to host the rematch between Anthony Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019 and they are willing to go up to $120 million to secure the rights to host Joshua vs. Usyk 2.
Initial talks suggested that Joshua wanted to rematch Usyk in the UK but given the big money that the Saudis are willing to pay, it looks like both camps will agree to fight in Saudi Arabia on June 26. Saudi Arabia recently experienced a rocket attack on an oil installation that was less than 15 miles away from where the F1 Grand Prix was taking place.
The F1 Grand Prix was not cancelled and went ahead as per plan. It looks like the boxing world is also ready to ignore the recent rocket attack and move forward with one of the biggest heavyweight fights in recent times.
Anthony Joshua wouldn’t mind fighting in Saudi Arabia as his last stint in the Middle East saw him win his rematch against Ruiz Jr. and regain his heavyweight titles.
Usyk Will Need Permission To Leave Ukraine
Things are a lot more difficult for Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk as he has been on the battle lines fighting for his country against the Russians. Usyk used his social media to call on his Russian brothers and sisters to stop fighting with them and asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the war and negotiate with Ukraine.
If Russia continues its war on Ukraine, Usyk will have to take a leave of absence from defending his country and prepare for his fight against Joshua. Will Usyk be 100 percent focused and ready to fight Joshua or will the toll of the war have a negative impact on Usyk’s performance and the final outcome of the boxing fight?
