Hearn ready for fan backlash over Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk rematch venue

Eddie Hearn insists he is ready for the backlash from returning to Saudi Arabia with Anthony Joshua ’s much-anticipated rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.

Fans have already started reacting angrily to news the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight championship is heading to the Middle East. Joshua already fought in Saudi when he outpointed Andy Ruiz to become a two-time world champion by getting revenge against the Mexican-American.

But Amnesty International was vocal about Joshua fighting in Saudi Arabia back then owing to human rights issues in the country. This time it is not Joshua’s side pushing to head to the Middle East, with Usyk’s team keen to bank the biggest pay cheque possible for the rematch.

“At the end of a day, this is not a game of tennis,” Hearn said. “This is two guys having a fight in a ring putting their lives on the line. We’ve done it before. It was extremely successful, everyone kept their word, the fighters made a lot of money.

“It is impossible in a sport like this to say to a fighter, ‘you can earn X to do it in London or three times as much for doing it out there’. “Ultimately, the contract states – this is not just us – if there’s an offer that comes that is the maximum money we have to do it.
“We are happy to do it, by the way. "We are ready for that [backlash], we’ve been there before, we’ve done it before.”

Fans aren’t impressed that they face difficulties travelling to Jeddah where the fight will take place after 60,000 packed out Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the first meeting between the pair. Usyk won that fight so Joshua heads back to the Middle East looking to regain his titles again, just like he had to when he faced Ruiz Jnr there in December 2019.

Hearn insists the fight with Ruiz Jnr – which Joshua netted £46m for – did not damage his fighter’s reputation. He actually believes it was a success. The Matchroom boss said: “There was no reputational damage at all last time. None at all. In fact, it was an event which resonated around the world for Matchroom, for AJ.

“When it was all said and done it didn’t change a thing. It will absolutely be the same this time.” The date of the fight remains up in the air with July 23 now unlikely. The Jeddah Super Dome is “in consideration” to host the bout but it may be pushed back to August.

Hearn said: “Nothing confirmed yet but that is one of the places in consideration. There is the potential to be pushed back a couple of weeks. “It’s being discussed, with both sides. I got a call last night with [Usyk promoter] Alex Krassyuk and [manager] Egis [Klimas] about it.

“There is so much to do you get to a stage where July 23 is seven weeks on Saturday and part of our obligation is to do a media tour. Is it more sensible to do a media tour and give it more time to do it properly? It is not that someone is injured, everyone is desperate to fight. Both want to fight again in December. Pushing it two or three weeks is OK but we don’t want to go any longer because then December goes. July 23 is not gone yet but sort of every day that passes [it seems less likely].”

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