KUBRAT PULEV has confirmed via his official Facebook page that he will fight Anthony Joshua in Istanbul in May.
The 38-year-old posted a link to an article which appears to claim that the much-anticipated fight will take place at the Vodafone Arena – home of Turkish football club Besiktas.
The Bulgarian article claims that the fight will take place in Istanbul in May
The pair are due to fight this year, with Pulev the mandatory challenger for Joshua’s IBF heavyweight title.
But SunSport understands that while talks are ongoing, any clash between the pair will only take place in either the United Kingdom, United States or Saudi Arabia.
No word though has come from Joshua’s camp today regarding the fight.
The pair had been due to clash at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium back in October 2017, but the Bulgarian had to pull out with injury, and was replaced by Carlos Takam.
Joshua is thought to be keen to return to London for his next fight.
And it was revealed last month that the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium had emerged as a very real contender to host the bout.
The state-of-the-art facility opened in April 2019, and while it would be the stadium’s first boxing event – it has hosted NFL – and is due to host Rugby Union and a concert later this year.
Pulev, known as “The Cobra”, has an impressive 28-1 record in his career.
Pulev appeared to confirm the fight in a Facebook post
Pulev was defeated by Wladimir Klitschko in his last title fightCredit: Getty – Contributor
But that one loss came in his only other title fight – being defeated by Wladimir Klitschko in Hamburg back in 2014.
Pulev’s most recent victory was over Rydell Booker in California on November 9.
And it appears that Pulev has won the race to be Joshua’s next opponent, with WBO challenger Oleksandr Usyk being made to wait until later in the year.
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is thought to be a strong contender to host the fightCredit: Getty – Contributor
Anthony Joshua shows off amazing speed and power as he practises body shots in training with Pulev fight on horizon
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
