London (AFP)
British Anthony Anthony Joshua, WBA-IBF-WBO heavyweight title fight against Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev, scheduled for June in London but postponed due to coronavirus pandemic, could take place in the Middle East to avoid a camera closed, said promoter Eddie Hearn.
"Would Saudi Arabia, Dubai or Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) be ready to organize an event in September or October? I believe 100% yes," the combat promoter told Boxing Social, a specialized media.
"These countries will be operational much faster than our country (United Kingdom, note) or America" to organize fights with spectators, he judged.
It was in Saudi Arabia that Joshua beat Andy Ruiz to win the WBA-IBF-WBO titles in December 2019.
The fight for the defense of these belts, initially scheduled for June 20 in the stadium of the Tottenham football club in north London, has been postponed sine die due to the health context.
Hearn, who suggested that other of his fights could be played without an audience, said Joshua's fell into a whole different category due to the huge financial implications.
"We are not going to see 'AJ' and say, 'man, there are 10 million less in the pot', we have to be creative," he said.
"If we cannot open the doors for the biggest fights, we must look elsewhere and therefore look towards other territories".
"Do I really want AJ to box behind closed doors? No. With what he has produced in terms of entertainment, I will do everything to make sure that AJ does not fight behind closed doors", a- he concluded.
British authorities have established conditions for the return of boxing in July, without an audience and with mandatory masks for coaches.
© 2020 AFP