Anthony Joshua, his promoter Eddie Hearn and Oleksandr Usyk promoter Alexander Krassyuk met at a London hotel Thursday. It wasn’t a chance meeting. They were there to talk, and it’s fair to assume they did more than exchange gardening tips.
Joshua posted photos of the three, igniting further speculation about a Joshua-Usyk fight.
“Good to catch up with Eddie Hearn, Alex Krassyuk and 258 Management. Talking all things boxing. #JoshuaVsUsyk”, Joshua said in an Instagram post.
Hearn and Krassyuk also posted comments about the meeting on social media.
“More meetings planning 2020,” Hearn said.
Krassyuk posted: “Interesting talks in London with Eddie Hearn, Anthony Joshua.”
The question is when in 2020. Negotiations for Joshua in a mandatory defense against Kubrat Pulev are ongoing. Deadline for a deal is Jan. 31.
Usyk, a former unified cruiserweight champion who made his heavyweight debut in a victory over Chazz Witherspoon in October, is the mandatory challenger for another one of Joshua’s belts.
If there’s no deal for a Pulev fight, Joshua could turn to Usyk. He then would probably relinquish the belt he would defend against Pulev. There is talk that Joshua vs. Pulev would likely take place in the spring, which has fueled ongoing speculation that Usyk would fight Joseph Parker.
But Joshua’s meeting Thursday is further evidence that he holds most of the pieces to a heavyweight division that is still a puzzle.