Promoter Eddie Hearn discusses Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk rematch
Despite a brace of defeats on his ledger, Anthony Joshua (24-2, 22KOs) is still a household name and huge draw in boxing, selling out stadiums and smashing PPV records.
From the start of the Watford-born boxing legend’s professional career, after winning gold in the super heavyweight division for Great Britain in the London 2012 Olympic Games, he has been destined for the top, with the support of the entire nation fully behind him.
When he turned professional in 2013, he consistently crushed every opponent in his way, knocking out 16 foes in a row to become a world champion for the first time in 2016, less than three years on from his pro debut.
Whether or not you’re a fan, his impact on the British and international boxing scene is undeniable – his last fight had a whopping 10.43 million viewers tune in.
In September 2021, one of the biggest fights of the year was Joshua defending his hoard of world titles to former undisputed cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, and it didn’t turn out well for the Brit. Thanks to a contract clause, the pair are poised for a rematch.
When’s Anthony Joshua’s next fight? Predictions say there are two main matches set for 2022, so here’s our guess for his upcoming fight schedule:
March/April 2022
History-making Ukrainian superstar Oleksandr Usyk ripped Joshua’s heavyweight titles away from him in their last fight at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in north London in September 2021.
The defeat has temporarily dashed Joshua's hopes of an undisputed clash with WBC titleholder and domestic rival Tyson Fury, and blown the blue-ribbon division wide open, with Fury likely to face his WBC mandatory Dillian Whyte next (around the same time as Joshua-Usyk) and AJ having to rematch with Usyk once more in a bid to reclaim his titles, tying both fighters up for the first half of next year.
According to the his promoter Eddie Hearn, we can expect a rematch in March or April next year. From what it seems, AJ has been scouting out different gyms in America working with various renowned coaches and practicing new ways to change his style to become a three-time world heavyweight champion. Whether he changes trainers is yet to be seen.
Hearn also stated that he would like the fight back in the UK once more, despite rumours of Dubai and Ukraine as possible locations.
Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury
Joshua's potential fight with Fury was originally set for last summer until Deontay Wilder crashed the party with a court ruling cancelling the undisputed showdown in favour of his right to a trilogy fight.
Fury fought his rival for a third time and managed to get him out of the way for good with an 11th round knockout. However, there's now a hold-up with Joshua's rematch scheduled next spring, which he may not win against such an experienced and successful operator in Usyk, and now Fury is mandated to fight fellow Brit Dillian Whyte, who is the WBC interim champion.
If both bouts take place in the first quarter of 2022, then any hopes of a Joshua-Fury decider will not be able to happen until around the third quarter from at least September onwards.
All eyes are on their next fights, however, which will see something strange happen – AJ fans will be willing his biggest rival Tyson Fury to win, and fans of 'The Gypsy King' will be doing the same and crossing their fingers for Joshua to prevail.
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