Comeback king Anthony Joshua out to avenge 'blip' loss to Oleksandr Usyk in Jeddah rematch

Self-proclaimed "comeback king” Anthony Joshua has promised to rebound from his “blip” defeat to Oleksandr Usyk and become a three-time world heavyweight champion when the pair meet again in Saudi Arabia this summer.

The much-anticipated rematch, billed "Rage on the Red Sea", was confirmed on Sunday for Jeddah on August 20, where Joshua will seek to avenge the loss of his WBA, IBF and WBO belts to Usyk via unanimous decision in England last September.

Usyk, the former undisputed cruiserweight champion, took a dominant display at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium 117-112, 116-112, 115-13.

Speaking at the launch press conference in Jeddah on Tuesday, where he sat along from Usyk, Joshua said: “Definitely the hunger is still there. Blips happen, things happen in life. But resilience, mental toughness and consistency will always prevail.

“We’re still on the road to undisputed for sure. God willing, I’ll perform and I’ll become three-time heavyweight champion of the world.”

Joshua, 32, was largely outclassed in the initial contest, with the nature of the defeat prompting the Briton to part company with long-time head trainer Robert McCracken. McCracken has been replaced with the highly respected Robert Garcia.

Joshua, though, is no stranger to adversity having endured a troublesome time in his late teens - he even spent a brief spell in prison - before becoming Olympic champion in 2012.

He has experience also of reigniting his boxing career in Saudi: in December 2019, Joshua defeated Andy Ruiz Jr in their rematch to regain his heavyweight titles. The first defeat, in New York six months previously, is one of only two losses in his 24-fight professional career.

“With Andy Ruiz, a lot of people could see before the [original]