Anthony Joshua is set to face Oleksandr Usyk on 25 September, Eddie Hearn has confirmed.
Joshua, the WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight title holder, was due to have an all-British heavyweight showdown with Tyson Fury this summer but a legal ruling in the United States derailed a proposed fight in Saudi Arabia on 14 August.
An arbitration hearing upheld a claim from fellow heavyweight Deontay Wilder that he was contractually owed a third fight with WBC champion Fury, with Joshua then labelling his countryman a “fraud” on Twitter.
It means Joshua will now face Usyk in September, while Fury will take on Wilder to complete a trilogy of fights between the two on 24 July. Victory for both Britons would set up an undisputed-title bout.
“Joshua v Usyk announcement, don’t want to say [I’ll announce it in] two weeks as you guys are bored of me saying that,” Hearn said on Instagram live. “25 September is the date.”
Usyk, 18-0(13KOs), is the former undisputed cruiserweight champion and, like Joshua, won Olympic gold at London 2012. The 34-year-old is coming off the back of a points win over Joshua’s fellow Briton, Dereck Chisora.