ANTHONY JOSHUA’s high-stakes rematch with Oleksandr Usyk will be officially announced next week.
Both parties have been finalising a suitable site deal for the duo’s proposed dust-up on July 23, which SunSport understands is on course to land in the Middle East.
Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk are set to renew in the summer
The pair’s rematch is slated for July 23
And promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed the fight will be announced next week
And after weeks of painstaking negotiations, promoter Eddie Hearn is confident an official announcement will be made sometime next week.
During an interview with iFL TV, Hearn said: “Do we announce this week? Probably not.
“But do we announce next week? Almost certainly.
“You will see that fight, you will see that fight in July and you’ll get an official announcement soon.”
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The oil-rich Saudi Arabians – who hosted Joshua’s 2019 rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr – are the frontrunners to land their second unified heavyweight title showdown in the space of three years.
But Hearn has refused to confirm if the Saudis have bagged the bout, saying: “I think there’s a very good chance you’ll see that fight July 23 in the Middle East.
“We have had a number of offers from around the world. We have been working through those and we’re closing in on that option.
“Team Usyk have stressed that that’s the option they would prefer because, obviously, it’s a lot of money.
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“Quite frankly I think Team Usyk would rather a neutral venue and I don’t blame them for that. So that’s where we’re at.”
Joshua, 32, was turned over in his Tottenham tussle with Uysk last September, suffering a lopsided points defeat to the Ukrainian.
And he admits he adopted the wrong approach for his first showdown with the slick southpaw.
He said: “The fight with Usyk, in my mind, was going for 12 rounds. That was my game plan because I thought I could compete with him as a boxer.
“And I think he won two more rounds than I did. That’s how he became champion.
“So the goal now is to go back to basics and go for the knockout. I always feel, when I’m sparring or fighting people, I actually see their spirit get dampened.
“Honestly, when you’re looking at this person directly in their eyes and watching their body, you can read the body and punch after punch this person is slowly fading.
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“Now when you’re boxing, the art of boxing is to hit and not get hit. So you’re kind of boxing to stay away.
“That’s not really my style. My style is to be up close and personal and make it difficult for the person. So that’s the game plan.”
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