British boxer Anthony Joshua's world heavyweight title defence against Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev will be postponed by several months due to the coronavirus outbreak, the IBF's mandatory challenger said on Thursday.
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The 38-year-old former European amateur super-heavyweight champion Pulev said the fight would probably take place at the end of the year instead of June 20 at Tottenham Hotspur's stadium in London as scheduled.
The 62,000 seater stadium was no longer available after European soccer's governing body UEFA postponed the European Championship to 2021, which means that any rescheduled Premier League fixtures could now run into the summer.
"It is impossible for the fight to take place on June 20, although I am ready," Pulev, known as "The Cobra" said. "The match will take place a few months later, perhaps towards the end of the year."
Pulev, one of Bulgaria's most popular sportsmen, challenged for the IBF world heavyweight title in 2014, losing to Wladimir Klitschko in Hamburg on a fifth-round knockout.
Joshua beat Andy Ruiz Jr in Saudi Arabia to win back the IBF, WBA and WBO titles in December, avenging his shock defeat by the Mexican in June 2019.
Australian Associated Press
