JOSHUA VS PULEV SET FOR ISTANBUL?

JOSHUA VS PULEV SET FOR ISTANBUL?

It appears that Anthony Joshua is preparing for his next fight against IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev, which is set to take place in Besiktas’ 40,000 capacity football stadium in May.

With his last two fights being overseas in Saudi Arabia & east coast USA, Joshua has publicly reiterated his desire to return to the UK to be back in front of his own fans. News of a potential bout against Pulev in Turkey will not be music to the ears of his UK following.

Yesterday, Kubrat Pulev posted an announcement on his Facebook page, “Official: Cobra against Joshua in Istanbul in May”.

If true, the opportunity presents a third chance in six years for Pulev to become heavyweight champion of the world. In 2014, Pulev lost to a vicious left hook by Ukrainian Vladimir Klitschko in front of 15,000 fans in Hamburg. A clash between Pulev and Anthony Joshua was due to happen back in October 2017, but a severe shoulder injury occurred in sparring prevented the bout from going ahead.

We know that Joshua also has a mandatory obligation against Aleksandr Usyk. WBO President Paco Valcarcel announced immediately after AJ’s victory in the rematch against Andy Ruiz Joshua Jr, that they have a 6 month deadline to agree a bout.

Yesterday, Joshua and promoter Eddie Hearn held “interesting talks” with Usyk’s promoter Alex Krassyuk in London planning for a potential fight most likely in late 2020. Krassyuk had previously told Sky Sports that Usyk’s desired world heavyweight championship fight against Joshua occurring this year “is a fact” but he must first decide whether to first face Derek Chisora in a non-title fight or Joseph Parker, if the WBO becomes vacant. It’s clear that Joshua is not keen on letting the WBO title go but said “If i have to, I’ll give it away – but I’ll get it back again!”