Three-belt heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk put out a message Friday on Instagram that he was leaving his native Ukraine to begin preparations to face Anthony Joshua.
The question coming out of the statement is where and when the rematch would take place? There looks to be some clarity on that front, as on Monday's episode of The DAZN Boxing Show, Joshua's promoter at Matchroom Boxing, Eddie Hearn, revealed the timeline.
“Obviously, now everybody’s made their statements," Hearn said on the show. "Usyk’s come out and said, ‘I’m starting camp,’ so that fight is a go for June."
As to where the sequel will occur? Hearn says there are a couple of options on the table, and those will be discussed with Usyk's team before making a determination.
“We’re now going through all the various offers from different countries to stage that fight with [Usyk’s promoter] Alex Krassyuk," Hearn said. “The Middle East is obviously very interested in that fight. We’d like the fight in London as well if possible.
“I think probably this week, early next week, we’ll start firming up some dates. But, as I said, Usyk-AJ rematch definitely to take place in June.”
Usyk and Joshua fought in September, with the former pulling away late in the fight to win by unanimous decision to capture the IBF, WBA (super), and the WBO heavyweight titles. Until Usyk's announcement, the rematch was at one point in question when he joined the Ukrainian defense battalion to participate in their war against Russia.