The world heavyweight title rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua may have to be pushed back from its original July 23 date.
Jeff Powell for The Daily Mail reports that the schedule will have to be altered if contracts are not signed next week. However, Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn revealed to Boxing Social that an official announcement on the fight will come in that time.
“We are speeding up the process but if we cannot make the official announcement next week, we may have to push back the date further,” he told The Mail.
“If need be, we can hold for another a week or two. But if everything’s not finalised by next week, we won’t be able to fit the world media tour into the fighters training camp schedule and it will have to go to the 30th or a week or so into August.”
Usyk-Joshua 2 had been originally planned for April, but the Ukrainian put his boxing career on hold by returning to his homeland to join the Territorial Defence as part of the fight against the Russian invasion.
Hearn then hoped the return bout would take place in June after Usyk left the war to return to training in March.
One thing that appears certain is the fight will be staged in the Middle East. The next week should tell us one way or another when it will happen.