Anthony Joshua vs. Kubrat Pulev

Anthony Joshua vs. Kubrat Pulev, is an upcoming heavyweight professional boxing match contested between defending unified WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO world champion Anthony Joshua and IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev for the heavyweight world titles. The event was due to take place on 20 June 2020 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, however, on 3 April the event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]

Anthony Joshua vs. Kubrat Pulev

Date	TBA
Venue	Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, England
Title(s) on the line	WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles
Tale of the tape
Boxer Anthony Joshua Kubrat Pulev Nickname "AJ" "Cobra" Hometown Watford, England Sofia, Bulgaria Pre-fight record 23–1 (21 KOs) 28–1 (14 KOs) Height 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Style Orthodox Orthodox Recognition WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight champion IBF mandatory challenger

Background

Cancelled world title fight since 2017

On 28 August 2017, it was announced that Joshua and Pulev would fight at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.[2] Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn made the official announcement on 5 September, "I'm delighted that we will be in Cardiff at the magnificent Principality Stadium for the next step of the AJ journey. Nearly 80,000 will gather on 28 October 2017 to create another unforgettable night of boxing. Anthony will meet his mandatory challenger, [IBF] No. 1-ranked Kubrat Pulev, and the card will be stacked with world championship action, domestic title fights and the very best young stars in the game. Get ready for the next episode from the biggest star in world boxing."[3] The official press conference took place on 11 September 2017 and the following day, a reported 70,000 tickets had been sold, making it the fastest selling event. It also set the record of largest boxing attendance to be expected indoors. The previous record was Muhammad Ali vs. Leon Spinks rematch which gathered 63,000 fans at the New Orleans Superdrome in 1978.[4] On 16 October 2017, rumours circulated that Pulev had suffered an injury, which could see the fight being in jeopardy. The same reports suggested the injury was 10 days old, but Pulev's camp had kept it quiet.[5] The injury was later revealed to be true and 36-year-old Carlos Takam (35–3–1, 27 KOs), who was ranked number 3 by the IBF stepped in to replace Pulev on 12 days notice. Eddie Hearn said in a statement that he received a phone call from Pulev's promoter Kalle Sauerland, advising him of a shoulder injury he sustained during sparring. Hearn revealed when the Joshua vs. Pulev fight was made, he reached out to Takam's camp, knowing they would be next in line and told them to begin a training camp and stay on standby.[6]

On 2 March 2020, both Matchroom's Eddie Hearn and Top Rank's Bob Arum officially announced Joshua and Pulev will fight at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on 20 June.[7] On 3 April 2020, it was announced that the fight had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and that a new date for the fight "was being worked on".[1]

Fight card

Weight Class		vs.		Method	Round	Time	Notes
Heavyweight	Anthony Joshua (c)	vs	Kubrat Pulev				^Note 1

^Note 1 For unified WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles

Broadcasters

The fight will be televised live in the United Kingdom and Ireland on PPV's Sky Sports Box Office and Bulgaria on TBA.

Country	Broadcaster
	Free-to-air	Cable/Pay TV	PPV	Stream
United Kingdom (host)	N/A		Sky Sports Box Office
Ireland
Bulgaria	TBA

References

1. "Anthony Joshua's world title defence against Kubrat Pulev in June has been postponed". Sky Sports. 3 April 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
2. Anderson, David (28 August 2017). "Anthony Joshua's next opponent revealed". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
3. "Joshua to make next defense Oct. 28 vs. Pulev". ESPN.com. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
4. Kini, Abhinav (13 September 2017). "Record-breaking 70,000 tickets sold in Cardiff as Joshua vs Pulev becomes fastest-selling event". International Business Times UK. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
5. "Pulev Reportedly Injured, Anthony Joshua Fight in Jeopardy - Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
6. "Anthony Joshua vs. Carlos Takam Finalized For October 28 - Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
7. "Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev Confirmed Tottenham Stadium". talkSPORT. 2 March 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2020.

Preceded by vs. Andy Ruiz Jr.	Anthony Joshua's bouts TBA 2020	Succeeded by TBA
Preceded by vs. Rydell Booker	Kubrat Pulev's bouts TBA 2020	Succeeded by vs. TBA