London (AFP)
Anthony Joshua, holder of the WBA-IBF-WBO heavyweight titles, will not be able to defend his belts before October at best, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, his promoter Eddie Hearn said on Thursday.
Joshua was originally scheduled to face Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 20, then in July.
But according to Hearn it will still have to postpone the fight for several months, even if he hopes it will take place before the end of the year.
"With all that is going on and the fact that we have no idea when we can (organize the event) in public and with what amount of public, it will not be this summer," said Hearn at the Daily Mail.
"I think it will be in a window that runs from October to December. The sooner the better because we would like there not to be a year between his two fights," he added. Joshua is no longer in the ring since his victory against Andy Ruiz which allowed him to seize the WBA, IBF and WBO titles in December in Saudi Arabia.
A transfer of the fight against Pulev to the Gulf monarchy is a hypothesis considered, while Hearn also revealed working on the organization of two 100% English reunification fights between Joshua and his rival Tyson Fury, holder of the WBC title, while the latter should normally grant revenge to the American Deontay Wilder.
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