Kubrat Pulev: record, next fight and profile →
IBF, WBA, IBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (19-0, 19 KOs) has a huge target on his back, and the other fighters in his weight class are all ready to take their shot. Joshua was expected to have a rematch with Wladimir Klitschko in the fall. Those plans fell through when Klitschko announced his retirement from the sport on Thursday.
BoxingScene.com has been advised that Anthony Joshua (19-0, 19 KOs) has been ordered by the International Boxing Federation (IBF) to make a mandatory defense against Kubrat Pulev of Bulgaria. Joshua's mandatory defense was due on or before January 9, 2017. He was given an exception to face Wladimir Klitschko in April, with the vacant WBA, IBO titles at stake. Joshua defeated Klitschko by way of a eleven round stoppage.
Joshua is now most likely to fight mandatory challenger, Bulgaria’s Kubrat Pulev, as he chases a unifying bout against WBC champion Deontay Wilder of the US or New Zealand’s WBO champion Joseph Parker. Pulev’s promoter, Kalle Sauerland of Sauerland Event, hopes the Joshua fight will be staged at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
Anthony Joshua's next fight against mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev is expected to be confirmed within the coming week. The IBF, IBO and WBA heavyweight champion had on Wednesday reiterated his preference for a rematch with Wladimir Klitschko in Las Vegas, but the Ukrainian on Thursday announced his immediate retirement at 41 years old.
It was announced this morning that long reigning unified champion and long recognized #1 heavyweight Wladimir Klitschko would not invoke his rematch clause against WBA/IBF/IBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. On April 29th before a crowd of 90,000 fans at Wembley in London, Joshua climbed up off the canvas in the sixth to stop Klitschko in the 11th round of the most exciting heavyweight fight in several years.
Now that Wladimir Klitschko has retired, promoter Eddie Hearn has turned his attention toward finalizing an Anthony Joshua-Kubrat Pulev fight for the fall. Hearn told London’s Daily Mail on Thursday that he expects England’s Joshua to make a mandatory defense of his IBF heavyweight title against Bulgaria’s Pulev either on October 28 or November 11 in Cardiff, Wales. The Joshua-Pulev fight likely will take place at Principality Stadium, the site of the Joe Calzaghe-Mikkel Kessler super middleweight showdown in November 2007 (then Millennium Stadium).
Anthony Joshua will return to training in early August in preparation for a fight in the autumn. The IBF, IBO and WBA heavyweight champion is waiting to see if terms will be agreed with Wladimir Klitschko for a rematch that is expected to be staged at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on October 28.
Following the April 29, 2017 bout between Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko, the IBF received a letter from Matchroom Sport and IBF/WBA Heavyweight Champion. Anthony Joshua requesting an Exception to Regulations to participate in a rematch of this bout for the IBF Heavyweight Championship, IBO Heavyweight Championship and WBA Heavyweight Super Championship to take place by December 2, 2017.
Heavyweight contender Kubrat Pulev is still pushing to get his mandatory shot at IBF, IBO, WBA champion Anthony Joshua (19-0, 19 KOs). Pulev is the mandatory challenger under the IBF. But there is one big problem, there is a rematch clause between Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko. Back in April, Joshua got off the floor in the sixth round to stop Klitschko in the eleventh round round to unify his three times.
Anthony Joshua (19-0, 19 KOs) could very well lose his IBF world title before a rematch with Wladimir Klitschko in the fall. Last April, before a crowd of 90,000 fans at Wembley, Joshua stopped Klitschko in eleven rounds to unify the IBF, WBA, IBO world titles. Joshua had to overcome a knockdown in the sixth and some tense moments afterwards, to score two knockdowns of his own before stopping Klitschko in the eleventh.