Anthony Joshua, Kubrat Pulev to fight dirty December 12

British professional boxer who is a two-time unified heavyweight champion, having held the WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO titles since December 2019 and previously between 2016 and June 2019, Anthony Joshua will fight IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev on December 12 at London’s O2 Arena, Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed.

According to Daily Mail, the bout was initially due to take place in June at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but the coronavirus pandemic forced the contest to be postponed.

However, a new date has now been set. “Yes, December 12 at the O2 is the plan for AJ,” Hearn told Boxing Scene. Epic Sports promoter John Wirt, who co-promotes Pulev with Top Rank, added, “We are happy that the fight appears to be back on track and that we have a new date and site.

“There is still some tweaking to do on the contract but we are optimistic it should be concluded this week.” The heavyweight boxing calendar appears to be taking shape as Tyson Fury’s third clash with Deontay Wilder could take place a week later, according to talkSPORT.

The much-anticipated showdown reportedly could be held on December 19, which could pave the way for the Battle of Britain between Joshua and Fury in 2021.

The financial terms for the two blockbuster fights to unify the heavyweight division have been agreed but both Pulev and Wilder could upset the plan.

Meanwhile, Oleksandr Usyk’s team are determined to ensure Joshua obeys WBO rules so that the pair will meet in the ring. Usyk would be the mandatory challenger to the WBO heavyweight belt held by Joshua, should he beat Dereck Chisora in his upcoming fight. The pair could meet in the ring on October 31.