Anthony Joshua‘s bid to regain the world titles he lost to Oleskandr Usyk will take place on August 20 at the Jeddah Super Dome, promoter Eddie Hearn has confirmed.
The rematch for the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight belts will be billed ‘Rage on the Red Sea’, Hearn revealed in a tweet on Sunday tagging in Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Sport.
Ukrainian Usyk earned a dazzling win by wide decision to dethrone Joshua at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September 2021, and their second meeting will take place in an indoor venue to compensate for the searing local heat.
Anthony Joshua (left) lost to Oleksandr Usyk (right) at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in 2021
The British heavyweight will have to alter his tactics when he rematches Usyk in Saudi Arabia
A rematch clause was immediately activated but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February cast doubt over when former undisputed cruiserweight champion Usyk would be next back in the ring.
Usyk, 35, returned to Ukraine to fight for his country but was given special dispensation to leave and start preparations for this bout months later with a date and venue now finally confirmed.
The dome, which is a 35,000-seater venue, will host the contest and 32-year-old Joshua has made changes in pursuit of becoming world heavyweight champion for a third time.
Long-serving trainer Rob McCracken has moved on and Robert Garcia has been added to his corner to work alongside Angel Fernandez, who was already in place.
The 32-year-old has teamed up with Robert Garcia in a bid to find a plan to beat the skilful Usyk
Joshua surrendered the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO straps as Usyk oozed class in the win
Hearn has defended the decision to hold the huge fight in Saudi Arabia amid mass scrutiny surrounding this week’s inaugural LIV Golf series event, insisting that boxing cannot be compared to other sports.
The lucrative new golf event has attracted elite competitors and a fresh debate around the issue of sportswashing, arriving in the wake of criticism when Premier League side Newcastle’s takeover by a Saudi-backed consortium was approved by the Premier League in October 2021.
Joshua has already starred in a multimillion-dollar fight in the region, winning his belts back from Andy Ruiz Jr in a showdown dubbed ‘The Clash on the Dunes’ in 2019.
Matchroom Boxing boss Hearn also reiterated his staunch support for Joshua in his announcement, adding the hashtag ‘and the new’ — the words he hopes will ring out at the end of the fight to signal victory for the Londoner.
Usyk has won all 19 of his professional bouts and is expected to have a 50-50 split of the purse
His 32-year-old star client faces a stiff task against an opponent he struggled to trouble in their first bout.
Within minutes of Hearn’s announcement, Joshua published a video on Instagram, where he has almost 14 million followers, showing a montage of memorable moments from his career.
The clips started with his amateur success in 2010 and featured thrilling tussles including his knockout win over hall-of-famer Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley in 2017.
The footage also portrayed his shock first career defeat to Ruiz in New York in June 2019 and the aftermath of his comprehensive loss to 2012 Olympic Games champion Usyk in London.
Joshua has described his recent career as a ‘roller-coaster’ and added: ‘Fighting championship level back to back has had its pros and cons, but I decide every day to get stronger, to learn from my experiences and grow.
‘A happy fighter is a dangerous fighter and I am the happiest and most motivated I have been.’
