The British fighter responded by immediately triggering his rematch clause, but plans for a second clash were put on hold when Usyk took arms in his native country amid the Russian invasion. He then received special permission to leave the conflict in order to train for the defence of his WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO titles.
Having been provisionally scheduled for July, that fight is now set to take place in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, August 20. And it’s one that Joshua, 32, can ill-afford to lose if he is to fulfil his ambition of unifying the heavyweight division.
During his preparation, the Watford man has been trialling a number of different trainers, and gyms, in a bid to make ammends. But now fellow British heavyweight Derek Chisora has told him that the key is to be prerpared to be knocked on the canvas, or otherwise be left with deep regrets.
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