It’s on! Joshua v Klitschko
REMATCH SET FOR NOVEMBER IN VEGAS
ANThONY Joshua’s world heavyweight title rematch with Wladimir Klitschko is all systems go for las Vegas on November 11.
Promoter eddie hearn has applied successfully to stage the mega-bucks fight in Nevada.
The new hi-tech T-Mobile arena has been reserved provisionally under the auspices of the MGM Grand group, which is helping bankroll the eight-figure purses for the two fighters with a massive site fee.
hearn said: ‘The venue and the date are the preferred options, with T-Mobile and November 11 pencilled in.’
That translates into virtual confirmation that the second edition of the epic battle between Joshua and the iconic former world champion Klitschko is on.
The details have been in place for a fortnight, awaiting only the 41-year-old Klitschko’s commitment to carry on in the ring, which has seen him trigger the rematch clause.
a farewell fight in Vegas, the fight capital of the world, is believed to have clinched his agreement. so powerful is the lure of Vegas that Klitschko has turned down a bonus payment in excess of £ 1.5million to fight under the Principality stadium roof in Cardiff.
That less glamorous option would have given Joshua home advantage as huge as that which rescued him from impending defeat at Wembley stadium in april, when he survived a knockdown to eventually stop Klitschko in the 11th round.
Win or lose, this is likely to be Klitschko’s last fight and a source close to his camp said: ‘If this is to be the end of his fantastic career, he wants to go out in style in Vegas.’
The financial disparityarity of an 80,000 crowd in Cardiff and the 20,000-seater arena in Vegas will be covered by an expected increase in pay-TV sales in america.
Joshua’s willingness to go again has neverr been in doubt. hee is looking to expand hiss mar-marketability into america. Thus he has been in Vegas in the past week looking at the venue and setting up the facility to train at Floyd Mayweather’s fabled gym.
he is also expected to be at ringside for Mayweather’s showdown against UFC fighter CConor McGregor next mmonth. hearn said: ‘It wwill probably take a cocouple of weeks to get thithis over the line but I beliebelieve Klitschko in Vegas is the one.’o among ththe details to be finalised is whether one or both of the major Us cable television networks acquire the broadcasting rights there. In an unusual move both showtime, with the live transmission, and hBO, with the tape delay, screened the Wembley original. That was made possible by the time difference between Britain and america, which enabled a live afternoon screening in the Us, with the replay the same evening.
The original plan was for the rematch to take place in a football stadium in Ukrainian Klitschko’s adopted Germany, with the two Us companies switching roles.
Now they may bid against each other, or agree for hBO to go live, leaving showtime to pick up the repeat audience in the days following November 11.
either way, a primetime fight will draw a much bigger subscription audience.
Joshua will again be favourite to beat the veteran, who reigned as world heavyweight champion for more than a decade.
But another incentive for Klitschko is his belief that he would have beaten aJ had he gone for the finish after knocking him down in the sixth round of the first fight. his brother Vitali, also a former world champion, has apologised for advising him to husband his strength and ease to a points decision.
hearn, who conducted his Vegas negotiations under cover of a trip there for Matchroom’s darts productions, added: ‘It will be another momentous occasion.’
hearn’s contractual agreements with sky sports make them favourites to carry the fight here on their Box Office channel.