ANTHONY JOSHUA has officially been ordered by the WBO to face Oleksandr Usyk and has a month to agree the fight.
After AJ, 30, exacted revenge against Andy Ruiz Jr in Saudi Arabia he was confronted with TWO heavyweight mandatory challengers.
Anthony Joshua h#s been ordered to face WBO mandatory Oleksandr Usyk
Kubrat Pulev is next in line for the IBF belt while Usyk became the WBO’s next contender after he moved up from cruiserweight, per a ruling in the governing bodies rules.
But ESPN revealed the WBO have acted first by ordering unified champion Joshua to defend his belt against Ukrainian southpaw Usyk with the Brit given until June 4 to do so.
AJ has just a month to agree the defence, and faces being stripped of the WBO belt if he does not have a deal to fight Usyk finalised by January 10.
The WBO confirmed: “The WBO World Championship Committee hereby orders the parties herein commencement of negotiations for the above-mentioned WBO heavyweight mandatory championship contest.
“Please be advised that the parties have 30 days upon receipt of this letter to reach an agreement.
“If an accord is not reached within the time frame set forth herein, a purse bid will be ordered pursuant with the WBO regulations of world championship contests.”
Promoter Eddie Hearn suggested Bulgarian Pulev – who pulled out of fighting Joshua in 2017 – would be the likely next opponent for a London bout in March.
Meanwhile Usyk, also signed with the Matchroom Boxing boss, was offered a fight with Brit star Derek Chisora in the interim before facing the winner between AJ and Pulev.
The scenario still stands, as Joshua insisted post-fight in Saudi he will complete his mandatory defences before chasing Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury.
Anthony Joshua set to fight Kubrat Pulev next before facing Oleksandr Usyk, says Eddie Hearn
The 6ft 6in Watford ace could face Pulev in March before clashing with Usyk in a summer mega-fight, meeting the WBO’s June deadline, though an extension can be requested.
Joshua can only be excused from the mandatory defences if he secures an undisputed title fight with the WBC champion.
The current holder Wilder defends the belt against Fury in February, with a trilogy decider already signed also.
Joshua and Pulev were supposed to fight each other in 2017Credit: AFP or licensors
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
