Anthony Joshua set to defend heavyweight titles vs. Kubrat Pulev on June 20
Fans who were hoping that Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua would meet in their next bouts for the undisputed heavyweight championship are going to have to wait a little bit longer.
Promoters Eddie Hearn and Todd duBoef confirmed to Yahoo Sports on Thursday that Joshua, the IBF-WBA-WBO champion will defend his belts in a mandatory defense against Kubrat Pulev on June 20 in the United Kingdom.
Mike Coppinger of The Athletic first reported final details of the fight and said it would be at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
Joshua will be making the first defense of his second reign as heavyweight champion, when he fights Pulev. Joshua, the 2012 Olympic super heavyweight gold medalist, shockingly was knocked out and lost his belts to Andy Ruiz Jr. on June 1, 2019, in New York.
Joshua won the rematch by unanimous decision on Dec. 7 in Saudi Arabia.
Pulev is 28-1 with 14 knockouts and will be fighting for the title for the second time. He was knocked out in five rounds by Wladimir Klitschko on Nov. 15, 2014, in Hamburg, Germany, in a bid for the IBF, WBA and WBO belts.
He’s won eight in a row since, including a split decision over Dereck Chisora in 2016.
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