Eddie Hearn says Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk have agreed to terms
Well it seems like all the major haggling for the Joshua versus Usyk prizefight is all said and done! According to Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, WBA Super, WBO and IBF World Heavyweight champion Anthony “AJ” Joshua (24-1, 22 KO’s) has agreed to terms for his next bout. For a while, certainty around AJ’s next move was getting rather murky. After his super fight for undisputed with Tyson Fury was burnt to ash, the WBO stepped in on behalf of Oleksandr Usyk (18-0, 13 KO’s).
Usyk had long since been named as Joshua’s mandatory challenger, but was made to wait so that the Fury vs Joshua prizefight could take place. As consequence of Wilder winning his arbitration case with Fury, the bout for undisputed was made null and void. Yet, instead of quickly coming to terms with Team Usyk, there was apparently a bit of friction. Even worse, Hearn was relentless in his insinuation that AJ was mere moments away from relinquishing his WBO title all-together. Thankfully, all of that can be forgotten because Hearn has confirmed that both sides have agreed to all major points of contention.
LOOKS LIKE CLEAR SAILING
At this point, a formal contract must still be drawn up and signed, yet that is not expected to be a problem. If all continues along at this pace, a formal announcement should be made very shortly as Hearn explained to Boxing Social.
“Through the WBO we’ve both alerted them to say, ‘look, we’re happy, the terms have been agreed. We do need to contract that but at the same time we are in a good position. We’ve got a good relationship with them.’ London at the end of September is the plan and I think, yeah, I think this weekend, early next [week] we’ll have that deal concluded.”
It is good to be approaching formal closure on this potentially wonderful match. So, in the meantime, a small breath of relief can be let out, but we will certainly still be looking for that formal announcement!
By: Bakari Simpson
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