Unified heavyweight world titlist Anthony Joshua is set to face mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev on June 20 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, both fighters confirmed Monday.
Joshua's three major world title belts will be on the line at the North London stadium, which opened in 2019 and will seat about 70,000 for the bout, according to Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn.
"I'm back in my home city after some time away," Joshua said in announcing the fight. "A spectacular stadium has been built in North London and I'm honored to bring the boxing community from all over the world to witness us make history with the stadium's first heavyweight world title fight. The belts go back up in the air and nothing will stop me from being victorious."
June 20th 🗓 pic.twitter.com/4FbiftE8Cl
— Anthony Joshua (@anthonyfjoshua) March 2, 2020
Joshua fought away from home in both of his fights last year.
Joshua (23-1, 21 KOs), 30, of England, lost his belts in a seventh-round knockout defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr. on June 1 in New York in his United States debut. Joshua regained them on Dec. 7 by unanimous decision in a rematch with Ruiz in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. Soon after the rematch, Joshua was ordered to make his mandatory defenses with Pulev first.
"I am happy to have the opportunity to show the world how strong I really am," Pulev said. "Becoming a heavyweight world champion has always been my mission in life and on June 20, 2020, I will fulfill my destiny."
Pulev (28-1, 14 KOs), 38, of Bulgaria, has won eight fights in a row since challenging then-unified heavyweight world champion Wladimir Klitschko in November 2014, a bout in which he was knocked out in the fifth round.
The pair was due to meet in October 2017 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, but Pulev pulled out because of a shoulder injury he sustained in sparring. Joshua fought Carlos Takam instead, stopping him in the 10th round.
"I'm so excited to see Anthony Joshua return to the capital; 70,000 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is going to be very special," Hearn said. "2019 was a crazy year that had everything. The only thing missing was a U.K. fight, and as we go into what I believe will be the biggest year of AJ's career so far. All our attention turns to Kubrat Pulev in an absolute must-win fight. Pulev is undefeated in six years and his team -- and especially [Top Rank promoter] Bob Arum -- really fancy this. I think you are going to see something special from AJ on June 20, a destructive performance on the road to undisputed."
The camps faced an IBF purse bid on Tuesday to determine promotional rights, and neither side wanted it to go to a bid. They had already received two extensions but were not going to get another one, which forced them to finalize the deal over the weekend. They sent a letter to the IBF notifying them that the deal had been reached and asking that the purse bid be canceled.
"Kubrat Pulev has earned his ranking, and he is going to enemy territory prepared to pull off the upset," said Arum, Pulev's co-promoter. "Ever since Top Rank signed Kubrat last year, I have seen a determined heavyweight on a mission to win the heavyweight Title. He has been in this situation before, and he won't be intimidated by the tens of thousands of Joshua fans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. June 20 is going to be another historic evening in the heavyweight division."
John Wirt, president of Pulev co-promoter Epic Sports and Entertainment, added: "This fight has been a long time coming, but we finally have Joshua cornered, and on June 20, I guarantee Pulev will be victorious and Great Britain's recently acquired chokehold on the heavyweight division championship will be brought to a quick and sudden ending."
On Feb. 22, Tyson Fury knocked out Deontay Wilder to claim his title, giving British fighters a hold on all four major belts.