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At long last, Anthony Joshua's date of destiny with Oleksandr Usyk is finally on after their Jeddah rematch was officially confirmed on Sunday night.
It has been over eight months since Joshua first triggered an immediate rematch against Usyk, who produced a masterful display to dethrone him as unified heavyweight champion last September.
The Ukrainian proved tirelessly slick and elusive over 12 rounds in north London, meaning he departed Tottenham Hotspur's 62,000-seater stadium with a unanimous points victory and AJ's three world titles in the bag.
Anthony Joshua's date of destiny with Oleksandr Usyk was finally confirmed on Sunday night
The Brit will get his shot at redemption against Usyk out in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on August 20
While it has taken longer to arrange than expected, a result of Usyk's brief attempt to negotiate an undisputed battle with Tyson Fury and Russia's invasion of his native Ukraine, Joshua will get his shot at redemption in the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah on August 20.
And quite simply, he cannot afford to let it pass him by.
That was exactly what happened when they first met nine months ago, with the Brit's ill-advised strategy to stay at range and box Usyk, while failing to make the most of his clear physical advantages, proving a catastrophic blunder.
Joshua tried to play chess with the chess master and paid the price. It was an incredibly naive error for both he and ex-coach Robert McCracken to make, one which brought them only a handful of encouraging moments as Usyk cruised to victory.
This time around Joshua must ring the changes, a notion he has already acknowledged by hiring Robert Garcia as his new lead trainer.
Joshua was convincingly beaten last time out and needs to ring the changes to avenge the loss
He has already acknowledged that by appointing Robert Garcia as his new lead trainer
Garcia is one of the best coaches in world boxing and known for employing roughhouse tactics
Garcia, coach of four-weight world champion brother Mikey along with a host of other top names, is the man tasked with masterminding AJ's revival and he certainly has his work cut out in doing so. Being honest, Joshua has not looked the same fighter since Andy Ruiz Jr brought him crashing down to earth three years ago, a damaging defeat which appears to have shattered his confidence, not to mention they are up against a modern-day great with very few weaknesses in Usyk.
Devising a formula to topple him will be easier said than done. The obvious answer, as most armchair experts seem to have cracked, is for Joshua to get up close with Usyk, impose his superior size and wear him down. Yet the former undisputed cruiserweight king is too savvy an operator to be undone by such a basic blueprint, especially against an opponent with little to no experience of fighting that way.
Joshua has never been one for a messy, gritty brawl on the inside and, in truth, probably doesn't boast the engine to manhandle someone in this fashion for 12 rounds. He looked out on his feet at the close of the first fight, and that was after 36 minutes of a tit-for-tat boxing match, with Usyk on the verge of a stoppage when the final bell sounded.
It goes without saying that he needs to apply greater pressure when they meet again in the Middle East, though this pressure has to be educated and in short, sharp bursts to avoid sapping energy and walking on to counterpunches. Back in September there were fleeting glimpses of the problems AJ
