Anthony Joshua ‘will fight Oleksandr Usyk at Wembley in April’, Frank Warren believes
PROMOTER Frank Warren claims Anthony Joshua’s next fight will be against current undisputed cruiserweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Joshua, who holds the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight world titles, is scheduled to fight on April 13 next year, at Wembley Stadium.
Although a date and venue has been announced, the potential opponent remains a mystery - despite Dillian Whyte, 30, Tyson Fury 30, and Deontay Wilder, 33, seemingly the front runners to face Joshua, 30.
However, Warren claimed it is Usyk, 31, who will be in the opposite corner to Joshua come April 2019.
He said: “I am now hearing Joshua’s next opponent for April 13 is not going to be Dillian Whyte and will be Oleksandr Usyk, let them get on with it.
“I know why they want to fight Usyk, he is a smaller guy and not much of a puncher.”
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Usyk was last seen defeating Tony Bellew after eight rounds at the Manchester Arena in November - the Ukrainian is also signed to Warren’s promotional rival Eddie Hearn.
Meanwhile, Warren promoted the WBC heavyweight title fight between Wilder and Fury last weekend - which resulted in a controversial split decision draw.
Despite Fury’s excellent performance on away soil, his display was only enough to earn him a draw.
Fury outboxed Wilder for large parts of the bout, but the Gypsy King had to lift himself off the canvas in the ninth and twelfth round.
The epic display from both unbeaten heavyweights produced a modern classic, and Warren believes Joshua is not the No 1 in the division, as the promoter ranks Wilder and Fury above the unified champion.
Warren said: "He’s not the most powerful man in the division anymore. I said all along that when the best fight the best, it decides the No 1.
“I know I am biased but Tyson Fury is the No 1 now, for me and maybe Wilder is N. 2 or is No 1 joint with him.
“But Joshua is in the slipstream now because these guys went in and did it at good ages. They did it at their peak.
"They were not fighting old guys, it was not a passing-the-baton fight, Tyson is almost at his peak.
“Joshua’s promoter Barry Hearn is no schmuck, he is an accountant, he has gone on the record to say they have a business plan that is all about selling tickets and making a lot of money.”
Warren added that he would like to make the rematch between Wilder and Fury in the UK as he believes his man was ‘robbed’.
He said: “This rematch is the fight boxing fans want to see. Tyson was robbed of a historical moment, he is the people's champion, we will put it right.
“I want it in the UK, Tyson has been saying he wants it in Manchester but I reckon we would only get a draw there too.”
Fury and Wilder have both claimed they want an immediate rematch as they bid to end any controversy from the first fight.