Eddie Hearn, Anthony Joshua’s promoter has mentioned the British boxer’s rematch in opposition to heavyweight rival Oleksandr Usyk is ready to happen in May.

Joshua lost his WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO belts to Ukraine’s Usyk on a unanimous factors decision in front of a sell-out crowd at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September 2021.

British media reported that Tyson Fury had provided Joshua a payment to step except for his contractually obligated rematch with Usyk to permit the Ukrainian to face Fury for the undisputed heavyweight title bout. However these talks collapsed.

“It’s clear AJ will probably be preventing Usyk, which is his most popular selection,” Hearn instructed BBC Radio 5 Reside’s Boxing podcast on Tuesday.