Eddie Hearn has revealed that Anthony Joshua’s rematch with Oleksandr Usyk will most likely be in April 2022.
The Brit was beaten comprehensively by Usyk at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September and handed over his WBA, WBO and IBF titles to the Ukrainian.
AJ, though, has subsequently triggered a rematch clause and is set to return to the ring in the first quarter of 2022 in a bid to regain his belts.
There has been suggestions Joshua could give up the Usyk rematch to enable him to fight Fury.
Bob Arum, Fury’s veteran co-promoter in the US, also mentioned to talkSPORT a step aside deal had been mooted between the two sides.
But Hearn insists plans are in the works to reschedule the fight and April has been mooted as the most likely month for the rematch.
“Obviously not much other than we got to get together and decide a date,” Eddie Hearn told iFL TV said on trying schedule the rematch.
“April is realistic for that fight and where it’s going to be.
“AJ is the type that fights twice a year, and sometimes we feel like it would be nice to fight three times a year. We’ve had offers from around the world, but I think the UK will stage that fight.”
Hearn insists proper discussions will get underway now as he said AJ isn’t the type of fighter step into the ring just once in a year – like he did in 2021.
He added: “We have to sit down with [Usyk’s manager] Alex Krassyuk, and we’ll get Christmas out of the way and we’ll start moving forward with that because it’s time to start planning for that.
“Obviously, there were a couple of discussions about step asides and those kinds of fights. So we’ll have to see. But that looks very unlikely now because obviously of the Dillian Whyte situation, which AJ is pleased about.
“He didn’t want to have those conversations unless I presented them to him. So if that’s not the case, he moves forward with what he wants, which is the Oleksandr Usyk rematch.
When quizzed further if if the Joshua vs. Usyk step aside deal hasn’t come up, Hearn comprehensively said: “No, no.
“Once the Dillian Whyte fight was called [by the World Boxing Council], really, he comes into that situation and he’s got to be respected in that situation as well.”
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