Bulgaria’s Kubrat Pulev will face Anthony Joshua for the British fighter’s WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 20.
Pulev, 38, is the mandatory IBF challenger and is set to meet Joshua despite the clamor among boxing fans for the Londoner to next face newly-crowned WBC king Tyson Fury.
Instead, it is Pulev who will be up next for Joshua, who regained his titles by beating Andy Ruiz Jr. via unanimous decision in Saudi Arabia in December.
“I am happy to have the opportunity to show the world how strong I really am,” Pulev wrote on his Facebook page on Monday.
Joshua, 30, also hinted at a done deal as he took to social media.
Both Pulev and Joshua have just one loss on their records.
Joshua’s came in a shock defeat to Mexican-American fighter Ruiz in New York in June, which he has since avenged, while Pulev’s only blemish in his 29 bouts is a KO defeat to Wladimir Klitschoko in 2014.
The Bulgarian, known as ‘The Cobra’, has courted controversy for his behavior outside the ring, being suspended for forcibly kissing reporter Jennifer Ravalo during a post-fight interview in March of 2019.
Joshua and Pulev were scheduled to meet in Cardiff, Wales, back in 2017 but the Bulgarian was forced to withdraw with a shoulder injury.
Pulev was last in action in November, when he defeated America’s Rydell Booker via unanimous decision in California.
Elsewhere, former WBC champion Deontay Wilder has confirmed he will activate the rematch clause to face Tyson Fury for a third time after the Brit stopped him in the seventh round of their February title fight in Las Vegas.
That bout is likely to take place in the summer, although many observers will be keeping their fingers crossed for Fury and Joshua to emerge with wins from their respective fights to set up a blockbuster ‘Battle of Britian’ unification showdown between the pair either later this year or at the start of 2021.
