Anthony Joshua's rematch with Oleksandr Usyk will be shown on Sky Sports Box Office - despite the former world champion signing an exclusive deal with streaming service DAZN.
Joshua announced last month that he was leaving Sky Sports having been with the broadcaster since his professional debut in 2013. But it later emerged that his sequel with Usyk was not part of the deal - and so a bidding war ensued. And the Daily Telegraph revealed that Sky Sports have edged out their rival after bidding reached £28million.
Joshua will bid to win back his three heavyweight world titles from Usyk in Saudi Arabia on August 20, almost a year after he was beaten at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The rivals are expected to share a purse of at least £100million.
Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn surprisingly revealed this month that the most important fight of Joshua's career was not included in his £100m deal with DAZN. "This fight is outside of the the DAZN deal, the long-term DAZN deal, because the rights are owned by the site effectively, so that'll be negotiated separately."
After putting pen to paper last month, Joshua said: "I am entering a new phase in my career with a new training environment, new coaches and now a new broadcaster. Negotiations at this level take time so I am pleased to have it all wrapped up and now I can fully focus on giving the fans and DAZN what they want, knockouts in the glamour division.
"I've been working with DAZN and following its progress for a long time. We have enjoyed a really successful partnership in the US for many years and I know the team and understand the passion and drive of the business. DAZN's vision and passion to innovate is what attracted me to the partnership. They are leading the digital landscape in sport and the future of sports broadcasting. I am really looking forward to a long and successful partnership."
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Joshua was outclassed last September by his Ukrainian rival, who defied disadvantages in height, reach and weight to claim the WBA, IBF and WBO titles after a clear unanimous decision victory. But having linked up with new trainer Robert Garcia, Joshua is confident he can exact revenge.
"What happened then is in the past, I don’t really live in the past, I’m just present," he said. "I’ll be looking to be competing round-by-round and if I follow my As, Bs and Cs, it should lead me to KO. Someone said to me ‘you’ve got a chance to become three-time heavyweight champion of the world’. I said ‘it’s not where you want to be, I wouldn’t advise anyone young to go down that route’.
"You want to stay there and keep it, so I’m definitely desperate to get my hands on it. (But there’s) too much talking. Less talk, more action. I’m not a comedian, I’m not someone who likes big speeches. Let me get in there and do my job, that’s my priority. I’m definitely hungry, definitely desperate but how I perform will speak volumes to the masses."
