By Rick Reeno

Bernd Boente, manager of IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (63-3, 53KOs), tells BoxingScene.com that Wladimir could indeed fight in the United States next year.

Klistchko returned on Saturday night in Hamburg, dropping previously undefeated IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev (20-1, 11KOs) four times before the fight was waved off in the fifth round.

Boente indicates that three venues are in the running for Klitschko's next fight - Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Madison Square Garden in Manhattan and Olympiahalle in Munich. Wladimir has not fought in the United States since a unification win over Sultan Ibragimov in 2008. Both Klitschko brothers have fought in the Olympiahalle, but Wladimir has not seen action in that venue since a 2003 victory over Fabio Eduardo Moli.

The date, says Boente, is likely going to fall in April and carried by HBO as part of a three fight deal with the network.

The options for Klitschko were reported earlier, which Boente further confirmed to BoxingScene.

"The candidates who are possible opponents of Wladimir - [include] Bryant Jennings and the winner of the fight between WBC champion Bermane Stiverne of Canada and Deontay Wilder of the United States. This is our primary goal - to return the WBC belt to the Klitschko family. However, so far no one knows when exactly Stiverne and Wilder will fight. It is tentatively [targeted] for January and February," Boente told Sportbox.

"We have yet to find an opponent and align his candidacy with television. We can not exclude a fight with the winner of the fight between Tyson Fury and Derek Chisora. It could take place in Germany or England. In favor of this possibility is that Chisora ​​and Fury are boxing at the end of this month. At the moment, we are not considering the possibility of a fight with Shannon Briggs, although in the future I can not completely eliminate him."