Anthony Joshua has triggered a clause that will see him fight Oleksandr Usyk for a second time.
The British fighter suffered the second loss of his career to Usyk last month, with the Ukrainian outclassing his rival at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and winning via a unanimous points decision.
It was a loss for Joshua that scuppered any immediate hopes of fighting compatriot Tyson Fury in a potential money-spinning heavyweight bout; Fury will complete his trilogy with Deontay Wilder on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
If that bout is to ever take place, then you sense Joshua will need to avenge the loss he suffered on September 25.
Immediately after Joshua's defeat, his promoter Eddie Hearn said that there was a rematch clause included in the contract for the fight and on Saturday he told DAZN (h/t TalkSport ) that the stipulation had been triggered.
"He’s got his head back in the game, he’s training now and today we officially triggered the rematch for the Oleksandr Usyk fight which we’ll see early next spring," said Hearn.
"Back in the game and looking for him to become a three-time heavyweight world champion. That’s officially triggered now and we’ll sit down with K2 [Usyk's promoters] to plan the dates for that.
"Having dominated the cruiserweight division, Usyk has made the jump up to heavyweight and looked at ease against the biggest punchers on the planet. I think realistically March is when you’re likely to see the rematch."
Against Joshua, Usyk was noticeably smaller in terms of physicality, but his technical quality and in-ring awareness saw him pick apart his illustrious opponent.
Joshua has prevailed in a rematch previously, beating Andy Ruiz after a stunning shock knockout in the first fight. However, you sense that second time around against Usyk will be a much tougher assignment than it was against the Mexican.
