A few weeks back, it was confirmed that Anthony Joshua had triggered the rematch clause after losing to Oleksandr Usyk back in September. With that move, Joshua would have to face Usyk for the second time, where he would, hopefully, try to win the IBF, WBA and WBO back from the Ukrainian. The fight, according to Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, would take place in March 2022. But we never got any further detail or any word from Usyk’s camp.

Now, Usyk’s promoter, Alexander Krassyuk, has given word on the upcoming fixture. Speaking recently in an interview, Krassyuk listed possible venues for the fight. He said: “We have three options under consideration: the UK, Ukraine and the Middle East. Hopefully by the end of 2021, we will be in the position to take the final decision.”

Joshua is from the UK while Usyk is from Ukraine, so it only makes sense for the two countries to be under consideration. The first fight held in UK and Usyk earlier had signified interest in making the rematch happen in his home country. But there are many things to consider before choosing the location of a fight rather than one’s home. Krassyuk said he would meet with Hearn in the coming weeks to finalise things concerning the rematch, including the location. Hearn always wants to go where the money is and he had picked Saudi Arabia as the venue for the Joshua vs. Tyson Fury fixture that never held. So it might be possible that he picks the Middle East again.

Usyk having to face Joshua again would stall the chance of an undisputed fixture between Usyk and WBC holder Fury. When asked if Usyk felt bad about it, Krassyuk said: “Not at all. We were 100 per cent aware of the rematch clause, we gave our word and signed it on paper. There is no space for frustration, as things are going the way we planned them to go.”

But Usyk vs. Joshua rematch is not the only thing preventing an undisputed fixture from happening as Fury now has to worry about a new mandatory challenger, Dillian Whyte.

Written by Leon Osamor