By Keith Idec

Kubrat Pulev’s promoter says his fighter is ready to face Dillian Whyte in an IBF heavyweight elimination match next.

He hopes the feeling is mutual now that the IBF has ordered a bout between Pulev and Whyte to determine the mandatory challenger for IBF heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua. England’s Joshua also owns the IBO, WBA and WBO titles.

Bulgaria’s Pulev is ranked No. 2 among the IBF’s heavyweight contenders, two spots ahead of London’s Whyte. The top spot in the IBF’s heavyweight rankings is unoccupied.

“I just hope Dillian accepts it; we have,” Nisse Sauerland told Sky Sports for a story that appeared on the network’s website Wednesday. “We have accepted the position and we are ready to go. We have worked with Eddie [Hearn, Whyte’s promoter] successfully for a number of years now. He is the most straightforward out there to work with and we believe we are as well. I think it’s relatively easy.”

Calling negotiations “easy” might be an overstatement, since what Whyte really wants next is a shot at WBC heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder. Whyte (23-1, 17 KOs) is ranked No. 1 by the WBC, but he hasn’t been declared Wilder’s mandatory challenger.

Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs) is more likely to make an optional defense next against another opponent, unless Joshua agrees to face him in what without question is the biggest fight in the heavyweight division. The 29-year-old Whyte does, however, want another opportunity to challenge Joshua (21-0, 20 KOs), the only opponent that has beaten him.

“Everyone wants the Joshua fight now,” Sauerland said. “Everyone wants a Deontay Wilder fight. Both guys are world champions, they deserve to be world champions. But both guys have weaknesses, as we’ve seen. It’s exciting at the moment, the heavyweight division.”

Pulev (25-1, 13 KOs) was the mandatory challenger for Joshua’s IBF title, but he withdrew from their October 28 bout less than two weeks in advance due to a shoulder injury. Joshua instead stopped late replacement Carlos Takam in the 10th round at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.

The 36-year-old Pulev has lost only to the retired Wladimir Klitschko (64-5, 53 KOs). Ukraine’s Klitschko knocked out Pulev in the fifth round of their November 2014 championship match in Hamburg, Germany.

“My brother [Kalle] is already in touch with Eddie, obviously, and so am I,” Sauerland said. “The good thing is, both ways there is commercial value to it. In Bulgaria, Kubrat is a national hero, sells 20,000 [tickets] when he fights. Dillian obviously headlines at the O2 [Arena in London], and is an interesting fighter in his own right. It’s a big fight, either way we look at it.

“Two great contenders, great commercial interest and a shot at Anthony Joshua on the line. The IBF don’t mess around with mandatories. If you get in that mandatory spot, you’re the mandatory. June could work, definitely. Kubrat’s in training again, so it would work well. He’s recovered from the injury and ready to go again.”

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.