The rematch between Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk will be held in Saudi Arabia in June after an enormous fee was agreed, according to reports.
Usyk beat Joshua in September at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and a rematch seemed likely to be in London as well, but Saudi Arabia’s offer has proved too good to turn down.
The Daily Mail reports that a fee of around $120 million (£91.6m) has been agreed, with 25 June the likely date for the fight.
It will be the second time Joshua has fought in Saudi Arabia, after his win over Andy Ruiz in December 2019 in their rematch.
He will be hoping it is a lucky omen as he gained revenge on that night against Ruiz, reclaiming the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight titles he lost to the Destroyer in their first meeting.
He lost those belts to Usyk last year and will be hoping to gain them all again in Saudi Arabia.
The $120m site fee for Joshua vs Usyk II is significantly more than the $80m the Saudis spent on bringing Joshua vs Ruiz II to Diriyah.
Usyk has fought professionally in Ukraine, Germany, Poland, USA, Riga, Russia and the UK, but will be making his Saudi debut.
