Eddie Hearn confirms Oleksandr Usyk vs Anthony Joshua rematch set for June

Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn has confirmed that he’s confident the Oleksandr Usyk vs Anthony Joshua rematch will take place in June.

As a result of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, many fans and media members alike had been concerned about the viability of Oleksandr Usyk defending his WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles against Anthony Joshua. However, recent reports had indicated that Usyk has been allowed to leave his homeland and commence training for his second meeting with AJ.

If the fight does indeed come to fruition and becomes official in the next couple of weeks, it could serve as a de-facto semi-final with the winner going on to face the victor of Tyson Fury vs Dillian Whyte. Of course, Fury has suggested he’ll retire after the Whyte showdown at Wembley, but you can never say never in this game.

During an appearance on The DAZN Boxing Show, Eddie Hearn make the following remarks with regards to the negotiations.

“Obviously now everybody’s made their statements, Usyk’s come out and said, ‘I’m starting camp,’ so that fight is a go for June,” Hearn said.

“We’re now going through all the various offers from different countries to stage that fight, with [Usyk’s promoter] Alex Krassyuk.

“The Middle East is obviously very interested in that fight, we’d like the fight in London as well if possible.

“I think probably this week, early next week, we’ll start firming up some dates. But, as I said: Usyk-AJ rematch definitely to take place in June.”

During the first fight at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September 2021, Oleksandr Usyk put on a masterful display to defeat Anthony Joshua via unanimous decision and take his belts.

Nobody is pretending like Joshua isn’t going to make some big adjustments