EDDIE HEARN expects Anthony Joshua’s high-stakes rematch with Oleksandr Usyk to be announced “next week”.
The pair are on course to meet in a Saudi summer showdown, with July 23 the slated date for their second dance.
MARC ASPLANDAnthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk are set to renew their rivalry in the summer
The pair’s second bout is set to take place in the Middle East on July 23GETTY
And promoter Eddie Hearn expects the fight to be announced next weekREUTERS
A lucrative site deal is close to being finalised and Hearn is confident an official announcement will be made next week.
He told iFL TV: “It’s difficult. If you ask me that question now, yes, you will get an announcement next week.
“But then tomorrow something could take a little bit longer with a contract or an escrow or whatever.”
Matchroom Boxing chief Hearn has been on the receiving end of many a Twitter trolling from fight fans when his timelines for bout announcements haven’t come to fruition.
He continued: “And then all of a sudden, I’m a liar and Billy in his Transformers pyjamas plays it back to me.
“‘Look at this clip. Eddie Hearn said we’d get an announcement next week and it’s now Monday of the week after.’
“So I will do my best. But as I talk to you now, I believe you’ll get an announcement next week.”
Joshua, 32, was turned over by slick southpaw Usyk in their Tottenham tussle last September, suffering a lopsided points defeat to the Ukrainian.
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And the former unified heavyweight champion plans to adopt a different game-plan for their desert dust-up.
He said: “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.
“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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