WILL ANTHONY JOSHUA VACATE WBO BELT RATHER THAN ENTER PURSE BIDS FOR OLEKSANDR USYK FIGHT?

Matchroom Boxings Eddie Hearn wants to avoid a purse bid for Anthony Joshua’s fight with Oleksandr Usyk and hopes that a deal can be reached. Hearn feels like an agreement is forthcoming, saying
“I feel like as long as the deal goes smoothly and no one tries to be clever, then I think that fight is quite automatic.” Hearns added: “I think it’s a very good fight. It’s not the Fury fight, which is the one we wanted, but it’s still a very good fight.”

Joshua appeared to be gearing up towards a showdown with Tyson Fury but that unification fight was stopped following a ruling from an arbiter that forced Joshua to a rematch with Deontay Wilder. That selection left Joshua without a summer time opponent, and negotiations with Usyk had been ongoing ever since the ruling.