Eddie Hearn claims the venue for the rematch Oleksandr Usyk with Anthony Joshua will be announced within the next two weeks, and "final negotiations" with various venues are still underway.
Saudi Arabia is believed to be the frontrunner in hosting the WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight titles, despite early reports that the venue was seen as far from being the first option. The tentative date for the fight is now July 23, although Hearn says the fight could take place earlier.
“We are in final talks with several venues about a date either late June or early mid-July,” Hearn said. - I think within two weeks we will have news about where this fight will take place. There is another option for the UK, but for the UK we don't need any negotiations, we can just book a site there."
Perhaps with these words, Hearn hinted that the UK option was already unlikely. Usyk won titles from Joshua at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London in September, and the contractual rematch was expected to take place there, or at Wembley Stadium.
But the chance of a huge sum for the opportunity to organize this meeting looks like it will take her outside the UK. Hearn has previously stated that Saudi Arabia, where Joshua won his 2019 rematch against Andy Ruiz Jr., is just one option, and other Middle Eastern states and venues in the United States have also shown interest.
It's also not yet certain who will broadcast the rematch, as Hearn admits the venue may have a say in that regard.
Each of Joshua's professional fights was broadcast on Sky in the UK, although their contract with Joshua ended with the first Usyk fight. Sky's contract with Hearn's Matchroom ended last summer, and the British promoter handed over his stable to DAZN. At the same time, Joshua is not included in this deal.
“DAZN is definitely being considered by us, it will depend on the offers we get because some of them differ in terms of rights,” Hearn said. — We could make a deal whereby the site could control the rights to fight. We had a great relationship between Sky and AJ, and these negotiations are ongoing at the moment. Obviously, DAZN would like to bring Anthony Joshua to the platform, just like other broadcasters. First we need to confirm the deal for AJ vs. Usyk, and then the broadcast rights will follow."
