Anthony Joshua will fight on Sky one more time it seems.
The former World Heavyweight champion had parted ways with the broadcasting giant after his contract expired to team up with streaming service DAZN last month.
The lucrative multi-fight deal, which was seen as a massive coup for the company, would also make Joshua a shareholder and be given a special advisor role too. However, it was soon announced that his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk was not included in the deal and may not be shown on the sports app in the UK.
The fight and rights had been bought by its August 20 Saudi Arabian hosts who would then put it out to the highest broadcast bidder. Sky have won that auction with a reported bid of $28m which will see Usyk-Joshua 2 land on their Box Office Pay-Per-View platform. DAZN will show the fight outside of the United Kingdom.
Although the undercard is not officially set for Eddie Hearn’s event in Jeddah one fight confirmed is the WBC Light Heavyweight title final eliminator between Callum Smith and Mathieu Bauderlique. Another one rumoured to be already added is the rearranged IBF Heavyweight title final eliminator between Filip Hrgovic and Zhilei Zhang.
Sky had worked with Joshua ever since he made his professional debut in October 2013. The subscription service screened every one of his 26 fights which saw him become a PPV star in 2015 with his thrilling brawl against old rival Dillian Whyte. Twelve box office events have come and gone, and Sky thought they had lost their marquee boxing name when he was snapped up by DAZN.
The pressure is now on Joshua to regain the three world titles he lost at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium 10 months ago to Usyk. DAZN will have everything crossed that the 32-year-old beats the Ukrainian and begins his UK stay on their platform as the three-time Heavyweight Champion of the World.