Tag: Oleksandr Usyk

Britain’s Anthony Joshua has triggered his clause for a rematch against heavyweight rival Oleksandr Usyk and the fight could take place in March, Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn said.

Joshua lost his WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO belts to Ukraine’s Usyk on a unanimous points decision at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last month.

“He (Joshua) has got his head back in the game,” Hearn told DAZN on Saturday. “He is training now and today we officially triggered the rematch for the Oleksandr Usyk fight, which we will see early next spring.

Joshua confident he’s learnt lesson after Usyk defeat
“We’re looking for him to become a three-time heavyweight world champion. I think realistically March is when you’re likely to see the rematch.”

A possible world heavyweight unification fight between Joshua and compatriot Tyson Fury, the WBC champion, was thrown into uncertainty after Fury’s promoter Frank Warren said he could not see it happening.

New Unified heavyweight champion, Oleksandr Usyk’s promoter has revealed that a second fight between USyk and Anthony Joshua will ‘definitely happen’ as the British-Nigerian boxer activated his rematch clause with the Ukrainian,

Usyk, the former cruiserweight champion, 34, silenced the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday with a boxing masterclass to claim the WBO, WBA, IBF and IBO world titles from his Joshua.

The dominant nature of Usyk’s victory has left many fans and pundits adamant that Joshua has little chance of reclaiming his belts from the Ukrainian but that has not deterred Joshua, who has now activated the rematch clause.

Usyk’s promoter, Alex Krassyuk said;

‘According to my understanding, he has already activated the rematch clause because the first thing he said when he came to our corner was ‘we will see again in the rematch” he told Boxing Social.

‘So he didn’t even consider it as a possibility, it was just a decision already.

‘I heard at the press conference Eddie Hearn and AJ himself were thinking about the rematch not just as a fact, but they were discussing the time when it is going to happen, what AJ has to change to win so I think it will happen.

‘Only some extraordinary circumstances can change it but as of now, it will definitely happen.’

Should Usyk prevail once more, he will look to secure the remaining WBC belt in an undisputed showdown. The belt is currently occupied by Tyson Fury, who fights Deontay Wilder for a third time on October 9.

‘We can talk about the unification of all the belts only after Tyson Fury will have a boxing match again Deontay Wilder, and they determine the champion, and after our rematch with Anthony,’ Usyk said in an interview.

‘Of course, I would like very much to have this unification match.’

Anthony Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn has confirmed the boxer will look to take on Oleksandr Usyk again in a rematch after losing his unified titles in London.

This comes shortly after Oleksandr Usyk emerged as the new heavyweight world champion after securing victory over Anthony Joshua in London, the United Kingdom on Saturday night, September 25.

In the fight, the three judges scored the bout all in Usyk’s favour 117-112, 116-112, 115-113.

Anthony Joshua will fight Oleksandr Usyk in a rematch – Joshua

‘He will want to go back in that rematch, and he will be the underdog in that fight but he has just been beaten by a pound-for-pound great,’ promoter Hearn said.

‘Joshua lives and breathes boxing, he is already talking about training again and he will be in the gym and ready to get back in again.

‘You can criticise Anthony Joshua, but he has just fought a great and he is fighting the very best, and tonight he came off second best.

‘There is a new unified heavyweight world champion, but there is no point sulking about it and he must go back to the drawing board and rebuild.

‘We will have enough time, the fighter in AJ says he will win the rematch but I had it close before Usyk ran away with it at the end.

‘But he has to make changes and impose his style to win the rematch, or he will lose again.’