Following the devastating defeat to Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk in September, Anthony Joshua’s contract with Sky Sports expired, with whom he has been broadcasted by his whole professional career, since ditching the amateur head guards in 2013.

However, it is understood, as per The Sun, that before Joshua’s career-defining rematch with the Ukrainian, there is a bidding war for the 32-year-old’s signature for broadcasting rights, with AJ still being deemed one of the most marketable athletes in the UK.

Joshua’s strong relationship with Sky Sports has always been accompanied by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Sports, who had built an incredible 25-year relationship with Sky before last June.

However, it was a seismic £100 million deal from the streaming app DAZN that lured away promoter Hearn from Sky Sports, putting Joshua’s own future association with the company into doubt.

Just a week before Joshua and Usyk’s heavyweight bout in September, the 2012 Olympic gold medallist signed a career-long contract with Matchroom Boxing, claiming: “In my humble opinion, what better place to be than Matchroom Boxing?”

Joshua’s decision to stay put with the Matchroom team and Hearn at DAZN is therefore highly expected, leaving Sky in the dust.

Anthony Joshua & Eddie Hearn
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 30: Anthony Joshua of England poses with Promoter Eddie Hearn following his WBC International Heavyweight bout against Kevin Johnson of The USA at The O2 Arena on May 30, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Ben Hoskins/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 30: Anthony Joshua of England poses with Promoter Eddie Hearn following his WBC International Heavyweight bout against Kevin Johnson of The USA at The O2 Arena on May 30, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Ben Hoskins/Getty Images)

The attraction for the fighters of the £1.99-per-month DAZN is that it does not rely on the pay-per-view model. Currently at Sky, viewers have to shell out £19.95 on top of their usual subscription fee, to watch big bouts.

Furthermore, the London-based streaming service has the potential to expand Matchroom’s fighters’ profiles to levels that Sky could not, with Hearn claiming that Sky were even amicable about the severance of their long-standing relationship due to the obvious potential for global expansion DAZN offered that Sky themselves could not match.

Joshua’s rematch to try and reclaim his WBA, IBF, and WBO heavyweight titles against the former cruiserweight champion Usyk is likely to take place on August 20 at the Jeddah Super Dome in Saudi Arabia, and as a potential shock to the system for viewers, will most likely not be available on Sky Sports but on the new face of boxing DAZN.