ANTHONY JOSHUA’S fight against Kubret Pulev on June 20 will be postponed because of coronavirus, according to the Bulgarian.
Britain’s WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight king is supposed to defend his belts against mandatory challenger Pulev at Tottenham’s new ground.
⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates
Anthony Joshua’s fight with Kubret Pulev will be postponed, according to the Bulgarian
But the outbreak of the deadly disease means almost all sport in Europe has been suspended.
And Pulev expects his battle with Joshua to go the same way.
Speaking to Bulgarian outlet BTV, he said: “It is impossible for the fight to take place on June 20, although I am ready.
“The match will take place a few months later, perhaps towards the end of the year.”
But shortly after his comments, Pulev’s co-promoter – Epic Sports’ John Wirt – jumped in to clarify the situation.
He told BoxingScene: “I can confirm that we only told Kubrat that there is a chance that his fight will be postponed, but as of the moment, it is still scheduled for June 20.
“Since we never had a formal press conference to announce the fight and therefore tickets were not put on sale, there is no rush for us to make a decision now to postpone a fight that is still more than [three] months out.
“As more information becomes available and we begin to see how things are going to develop, we will be consulting with our partners at Matchroom and Top Rank about whether we need to push the June 20 date back to later this summer.”
CORONAVIRUS CRISIS – BE IN THE KNOW
Get the latest coronavirus news, facts and figures from around the world – plus essential advice for you and your family.
To receive our Covid-19 newsletter in your inbox every tea time, sign up here.
To follow us on Facebook, simply ‘Like’ our Coronavirus page.
Earlier this month, Joshua’s promotor Eddie Hearn confirmed there is a backup date if the June clash gets cancelled but remained hopeful the bout would go ahead as planned.
However, the British Boxing Board of Control cancelled all bouts until April earlier this week and if that ban is extended it could throw the revised date into jeopardy too.
But Matchroom promoter Hearn has been in talks with Spurs – who are also out of action until April to keep on top of the situation.
Hearn said: “A requirement for Anthony in his next fight, a necessity for him, was to box in the UK.
“June 20 is a long time away, it’s still in our plans. We have been speaking to Tottenham and making sure that we’re all on the same page.
“For the Anthony Joshua fight, there are already potential plans to move that fight back to July.
“We do have a potential date for that, but right now, hoping June 20 can remain the date.”
Tyson Fury still planning to fight Anthony Joshua this December after dealing with Deontay Wilder trilogy fight
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
