Despite a couple scares, recent reports indicated that Anthony Joshua’s mandatory title defense against Oleksandr Usyk was still on the table. Now, Sky Sports claims the fight is “expected” to take place this September, ideally in London’s 62,000-seat Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The fight would mark Joshua’s (24-1, 22 KO) first appearance at the venue, which was previously slated to host his clash with Kubrat Pulev last year before COVID restrictions moved it to Wembley Arena, which along with Principality Stadium has hosted all of Joshua’s domestic fights since 2017.
Ukraine’s Usyk (18-0, 13 KO) would fight on UK soil for the third time, having stopped Tony Bellew in Manchester and edged out Dereck Chisora in Wembley.
Nothing’s official yet, of course, but the news is definitely more promising than “Joshua might vacate his title.” Get this over the finish line and let’s get this tangled-up nightmare of a division back on track.