Oleksandr Usyk has decided to accept the rematch with Anthony Joshua and will leave Ukraine in order to begin preparations for the fight.
Usyk will have been expecting to fight Joshua in the first half of 2022, having defeated the then reigning heavyweight champion in a memorable night of boxing at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium back in September of last year.
However, after Russia invaded his native Ukraine, Usyk commendably stayed behind and committed to fighting for his country. He has, thankfully, remained safe and well throughout the conflict so far. Many haven’t been so fortunate.
Usyk now appears prepared to depart Ukraine in order to fight Joshua, despite suggestions earlier in the week from Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn that he thought the fight was unlikely to materialise.
‼️ Oleksandr Usyk is reportedly going to take the Anthony Joshua rematch next after receiving permission from Ukraine’s Sports Minister to leave the country and start training camp. [According to @MikeCoppinger]
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) March 22, 2022
There seems to be conflicting reports on his matter on a daily basis at current, so we’ll take this with a pinch of salt for now. However, we’d be lying if we said we weren’t excited by the possibility of this fight coming to fruition over the coming weeks. Fingers crossed.
