It was expected, and is now officially official. Oleksandr Usyk will defend the AMB, FIB and OMB heavyweight titles against Anthony Joshua in a rematch on August 20 from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The official announcement did not include details of the broadcast, but with Joshua recently signing a major partnership agreement with DAZN, the expectation for now is that it will be broadcast on normal DAZN in most territories, probably including the United States. United, and DAZN pay-per-view. in the United Kingdom.
This, again, is unofficial. There is a possibility that it may also be in DAZN PPV in the US; Top Rank and ESPN recently tested the PPV on Saturday afternoon in the States for Fury vs. Whyte in April, and if they think they can make enough extra money with it, they could go for it too.
The statement also has a very brief quote from Usyk, who simply said, “I have a goal, with the help of the Lord I will complete my mission!”
Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) upset Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) last September at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in north London. Joshua will work with new coach Robert Garcia for this fight.
“What a roller coaster ride, fighting for the World Heavyweight Championship for the 12th time in a row,” Joshua said. “I won the belt, I unified the division, I won another belt, I lost the belts, I became a two-time unified heavyweight champion and now I have my date with history to become a three-time champion unified world heavyweight.What an opportunity.
“Fighting at the championship level has had its pros and cons, but every day I decide to get stronger, learn from my experiences and grow. A happy fighter is a dangerous fighter, and I’m the happiest and most motivated I’ve ever been. “
The event is called “Rage on the Red Sea,” I guess because boxing people still think there’s a chance they’ll get marketing gold like “The Rumble in the Jungle,” etc., even though no one will not use it. this as a hashtag.
For those interested in early odds, DraftKings Sportsbook currently has Usyk as the -215 favorite, with Joshua at +175.