Anthony Joshua will defend his world titles against Oleksandr Usyk on September 25, confirms promoter Eddie Hearn… with the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium favourite to host the heavyweight showdown
- Anthony Joshua will make his return to the ring against Oleksandr Usyk
- Eddie Hearn confirmed AJ will be defending his belts on September 25
- The world heavyweight clash is set to take place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Anthony Joshua will face Oleksandr Usyk on September 25, Eddie Hearn has confirmed.
Joshua, the WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight title holder, was due to have an all-British heavyweight showdown with Tyson Fury this summer but a legal ruling in the United States wrecked a proposed fight in Saudi Arabia on August 14.
An arbitration hearing upheld a claim from fellow heavyweight Deontay Wilder that he was contractually owed a third fight with WBC champion Fury, with Joshua then labelling his countryman a ‘fraud’ on Twitter.
Anthony Joshua will return to the ring in a heavyweight fight with Oleksandr Usyk
The Ukrainian is AJ’s WBO mandatory challenger and will get his shot this autumn
It means Joshua will now face Usyk in September, while Fury will take on Wilder to complete a trilogy of fights between the two on July 24. Victory for both Britons would fuel more talk of a potential undisputed bout.
‘Joshua v Usyk announcement, don’t want to say two weeks as you guys are bored of me saying that,’ Hearn said on Instagram live.
‘September 25 is the date.’
With the prospect of an all-British heavyweight contest over for now, Joshua has turned his focus to an expected meeting with Ukrainian boxer Usyk.
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is likely to host the bout.
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed Joshua vs Usyk is pencilled in for September 25
Tottenham Hotspur’s £1billion stadium is the favourite to host the heavyweight showdown