Anthony Joshua next fight date as ex-champ faces a rematch with Oleksandr Usyk

Joshua lost his heavyweight titles to Usyk last September and the highly anticipated rematch between the two is expected to take place on July 23 in Saudi Arabia

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In pictures: Joshua stunned by Usyk

Anthony Joshua gears up for a career-defining fight in July as he attempts to regain his heavyweight belts Oleksandr Usyk.

Joshua, who lost his titles to Usyk last September, will face the Ukrainian again on July 23 in Saudi Arabia. The nation have reportedly spent £90million to host the rematch after initial reports indicated Wembley and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium were potential venues.

A rematch between the two was recently put in jeopardy after Usyk returned to his homeland Ukraine to fight against a Russian invasion. Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn insisted the rematch would go ahead still take place and Usyk has since confirmed he left Ukraine to start training for battle.

Joshua’s trainers were heavily criticized for their approach in his first fight with Usyk so it’s no surprise that ‘AJ’ has found a new trainer for the rematch. For the first time in his professional career, Joshua has parted ways with longtime coach Rob McCracken.

Can Anthony Joshua reclaim his heavyweight belts against Oleksandr Usyk? Tell us what you think in the comment section under

McCracken and Joshua have been together since the 32-year-old won gold at the London 2012 Olympics, but Joshua will now rely solely on Angel Fernandez’s guidance. The pair first worked together with Andy Ruiz Jr. in late 2019 for Joshua’s rematch.

Joshua had been pictured in Dubai training with Anthony Wilson and US training with the likes of Virgil Hunter during his search for a new coach. Hearn also admitted he thought it was time for Joshua to “move on” ahead of McCracken’s rematch.

A second fight between Joshua and Usyk was all but scrapped as ‘AJ’ considered putting money aside to set up an undisputed title fight between Fury and Usyk. Talks over the deal collapsed and Fury was booked against mandatory WBC challenger instead Dillian Whyte.

With the crisis still looming large in Ukraine, boxing has not been at the forefront of Usyk’s mind lately. The 35-year-old joined the Kyiv Territorial Army to help repel Russian attacks and his wife Kateryna admitted he had lost 10kg in just a week due to the stress of the ongoing war.

“Sasha lost 10 kilograms in a week of war. He was so horrified, so shocked, he was so torn,” she told PravdaTUT Lviv. Usyk described it terrible scenes in his country, where soldiers shot at his house and his neighbors were taken from their homes.