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Kubrat Pulev confirms date and location for Anthony Joshua heavyweight bout

The Bulgarian fighter has seemingly confirmed that his fight with AJ is set for December 12…

Following speculation as to when Anthony Joshua will defend his world titles, IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev has updated fans about when the fight will happen.

Pulev - who was unsuccessful in his previous attempt at heavyweight glory to Wladimir Klitschko - revealed the finer details on his social media.

"No turning back, no procrastination! Kubrat Pulev vs Anthony Joshua! The date is December 12th and the place is London! And may the best one win!"
Joshua vs Pulev was originally expected to be a huge homecoming fight for the returning champion, who has not fought in the UK since 2018, with Tottenham Hotspur's self-titled stadium booked to host the event with more than 60,000 fans in attendance.

The ongoing global pandemic forced the summer showdown to be rescheduled and despite talks of the fight being staged in a castle, London's O2 Arena is set to stage the world title bout.

It is unsure yet whether fans will be allowed to attend the fight although Eddie Hearn has hinted about upping the pressure on the government to allow up to 2,000 fans in.

Joshua vs Fury in 2021 - can it happen?

It will have been nearly 12 months ago since we last saw Joshua regain his heavyweight titles against Andy Ruiz Jr. in Saudi Arabia. Pulev, meanwhile, was victorious in his last contest with a unanimous decision win over Rydell Brook. In doing so, the Bulgarian extended his winning streak to eight.

Joshua - WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO titlist - knows victory will get him one step closer to facing Tyson Fury, who agreed a two-fight deal in principle with AJ for 2021.

Heavyweight rival and WBC champion Fury has recently returned to training having confirmed that his fight with Wilder is now off.

"I was looking forward to smashing Wilder again. A quick and easy fight," Fury told the Athletic.

"But Wilder and his team were messing around with the date. They don't really want to fight the lineal heavyweight champion. They know how it ends.

"The world knows how it will end: with Wilder on his ass again. Then they asked me if I would agree to push it to December. I agreed to Dec. 19.
"Then they tried to change the date again into next year. I've been training. I'm ready. When they tried moving off Dec. 19 and pushing to next year, enough was enough. I've moved on."
After three back-to-back fights in the United States, Fury now has his heart set on a homecoming fight in the UK, though an opponent is yet to be confirmed.

Could Usyk wreck the British dream?

With Wilder seemingly out of the picture, the one remaining complication to the Fury-Joshua deal is Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk.

The former undisputed cruiserweight champion has made it no secret that he wishes to fight Joshua for his world titles next.

"The Cat" - who is the current mandatory to Joshua's WBO crown - puts his status on the line against Derek Chisora on October 31, which will take place on Sky Sports Box Office and DAZN.

"War" Chisora, alongside foe-turned-mentor David Haye, has been backed by Tony Bellew to deliver a shock upset to disrupt the ever-changing landscape of the heavyweight division.

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