Anthony Joshua will attempt to win back his three heavyweight world titles for a second time when he takes on Oleksandr Usyk in their eagerly-anticipated rematch this summer.
Joshua was comprehensively outpointed by Usyk in London last September as he lost his titles for the second time in three fights. Negotiations over a rematch rumbled on for months with Usyk opting to remain in Ukraine to take up arms against the Russian invasion.
But terms were finally agreed as Joshua plots his revenge in Saudi Arabia, armed with a new training team headed up by renowned coach Robert Garcia. Usyk, meanwhile, will be confident of repeating his performance almost 12 months on with the potential carrot of an undisputed clash with Tyson Fury in the future.
Here is everything you need to know about the rematch...
When is Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk 2?
Anthony Joshua's second clash with Oleksandr Usyk will take place on August 20. Several dates had been pencilled in for both June and July before the announcement was finally made.
Several venues were short-listed for the heavyweight rematch but the bout will take place in Jeddah, Saudia Arabia. A return to the UK was touted after the original fight performed well at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but the Middle East offered up to $100million to bring the fight to the desert.
This will be Joshua's second fight in the territory after successfully avenging defeat to Andy Ruiz in 2019, in a newly-built venue. On this occasion, the fight is due to take place at the Jeddah Super Dome which has a capacity of 40,000.
Who do you think will win - Oleksandr Usyk or Anthony Joshua? Let us know in the comments section below
What time will Joshua v Usyk start in the UK?
The main event ring walks are expected to be at around 9pm in the UK with the undercard beginning at around 4pm. That means the main event will kick-off at midnight in Saudi Arabia but the start time has been set to allow maximum coverage in Joshua's home country.
If you are tuning in from America, the fight is expected to start at 4pm on the east coast and at 1pm on the west.
How to watch via TV and live stream
Joshua's previous clash with Usyk was available on Sky Sports Box Office for a price of £24.95 in the UK. On this occasion, the same broadcaster won a fierce bidding war for the rematch having been up against streaming service DAZN.
Sky Sports have also increased the price in an attempt to cover their costs and fans will have to fork out £26.95 for the privilege of watching Joshua and Usyk in action. The event will start at 6pm on Sky Sports Box Office (Sky channel 491) and Sky Sports Box Office HD (Sky channel 492).
The fights can be streamed on your mobile device, laptop or computer but customers will still have to pay for the broadcast. DAZN did win the rights to stream the fight elsewhere in the world, including in America.
Usyk v Joshua 2 undercard
Filip Hrgovic vs Zhilei Zhang
Avoided Croatian heavyweight star Filip Hrgovic meets China’s undefeated Zhilei Zhang in a final eliminator for the IBF heavyweight world title. The rivals were originally set to clash on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez vs. Dmitry Bivol in May but will now do battle on the Red Sea.
Callum Smith vs Mathieu Bauderlique
Liverpool’s Callum Smith returns to the scene of his finest moment where he stopped British rival George Groves in seven rounds at the King Abdullah Sports City Arena in September 2018 to be crowned the WBA super-middleweight world champion and the winner of the World Boxing Super Series Muhammad Ali Trophy.
Now campaigning at light-heavyweight where he is ranked as the No.1 contender with the WBC, ‘Mundo’ will face France’s reigning European champion and No.2 ranked WBC 175lbs contender Mathieu Bauderlique in a final eliminator for the world title currently held by Artur Beterbiev.
Ramla Ali vs Crystal Garcia Nova
Badou Jack vs Richard Rivera
Andrew Tabiti vs Tyrone Spong
Daniel Lapin vs Jozef Jurko
Ziyad Almaayouf vs Jose Alatorre
Odds
Usyk 2/5
Joshua 15/8
Draw 16/1
Quotes corner
Oleksandr Usyk: I am working hard in my training camp to be in the best shape possible for the rematch. With the help of the Lord I will overcome the biggest challenges to make it happen. I want the crowd to be excited with the fight, I want them to remember it for a lifetime.”
Anthony Joshua: "August 20 is set to be an unbelievable night of championship level boxing. For any sports fan this is not to be missed, it has all the ingredients to go down in boxing history. Locally I know that boxing has grown massively and it was great to see thousands of people come to Riyadh for the 'Clash on the Dunes'. I am hoping to see even more in Jeddah in a few weeks’ time."
