Kubrat Pulev has confirmed he has signed a deal to fight Anthony Joshua at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 20.
The Buglarian is Joshua’s mandatory challenger for his IBF world heavyweight title, and the Brit will also place his WBA and WBO titles on the line.
Joshua won back his titles by beating Andy Ruiz Jr on points in their rematch in December.
It will be the first time Joshua has fought on British soil since beating Alexander Povetkin at Wembley in September 2018.
“The contract is already officially signed,” Pulev wrote on his Facebook page. “I am happy to be able to show the world how strong I am.”
Pulev fought for the IBF title in 2014 when he was knocked out by then-champion Wladimir Klitschko in the fifth round in Hamburg.
Pulev fought for the IBF title in 2014 when he was knocked out by then-champion Wladimir Klitschko in the fifth round in Hamburg.
Victory for Joshua would likely lead to a unification showdown with domestic rival Tyson Fury , who won the WBC title from Deontay Wilder in stunning fashion last month.
But Wilder and Fury will do battle for a third time in July, and Fury would need to triumph once more to keep the scrap with Joshua on track.
Wilder triggered the rematch clause following his defeat to Fury, with the Gypsy King’s American representative Bob Arum confirming: “Now we will sit down and go through all the details for the fight.
“We realised that date [July 18] was the favourite of both ESPN and Fox because it comes at a dead time in sports, which is good for the fight.
“It’s after the basketball playoffs, baseball is in the middle of the season and there’s no football. It’s the ideal time. The hotel, MGM Grand, also believes it to be an ideal time.”
