Anthony Joshua Told To Fight Mandatory Challenger or Lose Belt As Fury's Fight Cancelled

Anthony Joshua Told To Fight Mandatory Challenger or Lose Belt As Fury's Fight Cancelled

- Anthony Joshua must face number one contender Oleksandr Usyk or risk losing his WBO strap

- Eddie Hearne has also been told to pick a date for the fight before May 31, or face the penalty

- AJ and Tyson Fury were scheduled to meet on August 14, in Saudi Arabia but the court arbitration have ruled it out

- The Gypsy King has now been told to fight Deontay Wilder for the WBC belt by September

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Anthony Joshua has been ordered by the WBO to fight mandatory challenger Oleksandr Usyk as his much-anticipated bout with Tyson Fury could be called off, Sky Sports.

The boxing organization have stated to AJ's promoter Eddie Hearne should finalize the terms of agreement or face a penalty in the next ten days or May 31.

The 33-year-old also risks losing his WBO belt if he fails to challenge the highly Ukrainian who outclassed Derrick Chisora on his heavyweight debut.

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Usyk's promoter Alexander Krassyuk claimed Joshua wanted the fight and said:

"According to my knowledge, AJ is ready to take the challenge."

On the other hand, Fury has also been told by the court of arbitration to honour the trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder before September 15.

And the Bronze Bomber has stated that he will not accept any amount to step aside for the two British heavyweight to clash.

Anthony Joshua Told To Fight Mandatory Challenger or Lose Belt As Fury's Fight Cancelled
Anthony Joshua is set to face Ukrainian heavyweight Olesendr Usyk for the WBO title. Photo by Richard Heathcote
Source: Getty Images

Hearne has stated that the Joshua and Fury fight would still go on if both fighters come through their heavyweight opponents.

The promoter added the the fight will be rescheduled for December 2021, if AJ's beats Usyk and the Gypsy King record another victory over American Wilder.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had earlier reported that the heavyweight showdown between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury will be staged on either August 7, or 14, in Saudi Arabia, according to promoter Eddie Hearn, Daily Mail.

Read also

Nowhere to hide for Joshua as Tyson Fury confirms August 14 date for heavyweight bout in Saudi

However, Hearn confessed that there still some hurdles to get past before the megafight will go ahead as planned.

According to Sportmail, the city of Jeddah is the preferred destination but the major pitfall is the forthcoming Olympics.

Joshua’s trainer Rob McCracken is the performance director of the British boxing team that will be competing at the Tokyo Olympics between July 23 and August 8.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Akan Anwankwo avatar

Akan Anwankwo Akan Anwankwo is a sports editor, a graduate of English Language and Literature Studies at the University of Lagos. He's passionate about what he does and finds fulfillment in informing readers.