Via Jim Calfa: Eddie Hearn warned that he is running out of time to host a July 23 rematch between unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua for the Middle East region.
IBF/WBA/WBO Heavyweight Champion Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) has returned from his hometown fight and he is starting to practice for the rematch.
There are concerns about whether WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury is serious about retiring.
Had he not chosen to face the winner of the Joshua vs Usyk bout, the WBC belt would have been contested by the top two contenders in the World Boxing Council top 10,
Hearn needs to complete his Joshua-Usyk rematch this week. If so, he’ll have two big announcements to make for that fight, as well as Canelo Alvarez’s September 17 trilogy against Gennadiy Golovkin.
News was revealed on Monday about the Canelo-Golovkin III match, so the announcement of their fight will be toned down as fans already know.
“July 23 in the Middle East is at the forefront,” says Hearn DAZN Boxing Show. We’re running out of time for that date if we don’t close the deal this week.
“I hope we can give you two important news this week. It will be Canelo Alvarez’s next fight and Anthony Joshua’s next fight – two of the sport’s biggest stars.”
Hearn wants to hold the rematch in England, but it is believed Team Usyk wants to put it where it can make the most money.
The Middle East is an area that can make a lot of money for two boxers, but it’s not a great location for Joshua. He’s in a position where he desperately needs all the help he needs to keep his career on the water.
It would be great if the Joshua-Usyk II rematch is announced so that fans can look forward to this exciting match.
What makes it interesting is the thrill of whether Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) will suffer a second defeat at the hands of 2012 Olympic gold medalist Usyk. If Joshua loses, his career will come to an end.
That would be his third defeat in his last five fights, and that’s too much for Joshua to be considered an elite boxer. The worry is that Joshua doesn’t have to make an immediate rematch with Usyk.
He may have chosen to have some confidence boost against heavyweights at the domestic level before facing Usyk in 2023.
However, he believes he will be able to avenge his loss to Usyk just like he did to Andy Ruiz after losing to him in June 2019.
