Anthony Joshua has triggered his clause for a rematch with Oleksandr Usyk as he bids to avenge defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The former WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight champion is already back in training, with Eddie Hearn telling DAZN that the second fight is set to take place “early next spring”.
“[Joshua] has got his head back in the game,” Hearn told DAZN. “He is training now and today we officially triggered the rematch for the Oleksandr Usyk fight, which we will see early next spring.
“We’re looking for him to become a three-time heavyweight world champion. I think realistically March is when you’re likely to see the rematch.”
Usyk has suggested his first title defence since stepping up from cruiserweight could take place in his native Ukraine. As challenger, Joshua may have little say in the matter, just as he found to be the case after losing his belts in the shock defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr in June 2019. That rematch took place in Saudi Arabia.
Should he overcome Usyk at the second time of asking, Tyson Fury is waiting in the wings after knocking out Deontay Wilder inside 11 enthralling rounds on Saturday night.
In the meantime, Fury is required to defend his own WBC title, potentially against Dillian Whyte in another all-British spectacle, as long as the “Body Snatcher” beats Otto Wallin on 30 October. Whyte has long been waiting for a title shot and will believe he could be the man to finally end Fury’s unbeaten record, though he will be a huge outsider.
All that feels a long way off for Joshua, who must first go back to the drawing board. Despite boasting significant height and weight advantages, he lost to a masterful display from southpaw Usyk and finds himself having to rebuild his career for the second time in four fights.
Hearn insists that is a product of Joshua’s willingness to take on the division’s very best. Not strictly true, when Ruiz Jr was a last-minute fill-in and even Usyk, for all his prowess at cruiserweight, was expected to struggle in just his third heavyweight encounter.
The prospect of facing the 34-year-old again is not an appealing one, but Joshua still possesses the same weapons – the power and sheer physicality – which made him the favourite in the first place.
Wilder has been touted as a possible opponent for the loser of the rematch, though the “Bronze Bomber” is 35 and had hinted he could retire if he lost to Fury again.
The various governing bodies at least appear to be aligning so that whether it is Fury, Usyk, Joshua or another fighter entirely, the answer to the defining questions of the era could be resolved within the next couple of years.
