Oleksandr Usyk, the WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight champion, announced in a video uploaded to Instagram on Friday that he is starting training for his contractually mandatory rematch against the Englishman Anthony Joshua. Initially, with the start of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, Usyk decided to put his career on hold and enlist in the Territorial Defense Battalion in Kyiv.
On Friday, Usyk said he intends to defend his heavyweight titles against Joshua. Their first meeting took place in September last year at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Usyk outplayed the bigger and more powerful Londoner on points. In a published video, Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) stated that he believes that the fight with Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) will be more "help" to his country than patrolling the streets.
Eddie Hearn, Joshua's promoter, said he was in talks with Usyk's promoter Alex Krasyuk to agree on a date and place for a rematch. Hearn hopes the fight will take place in June.
“I hope this fight happens in June,” Hearn said Thursday on BBC 5 Live in London. - I almost certainly think that this will be the next fight for AJ, which he is very happy about. He's ready. We are negotiating with Alex Krasyuk to agree on a location and hopefully next week we will be able to announce when and where this fight will take place. As I said, it will almost certainly take place."
