Anthony Joshua will defend his WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles on October 28 against Kubrat Pulev, the mandatory challenger to his IBF belt.
The fight, which will take place at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, will be Joshua’s first since he defeated Wladimir Klitschko in April.
Many boxing fans expect Joshua to breeze past the Bulgarian but his options were reduced when Klitschko announced his retirement from the sport.
And despite concerns over the main event, promoter Eddie Hearn has ensured fans that the card will feature plenty of exciting matchups.
“Anthony will meet his mandatory challenger, No. 1 ranked Kubrat Pulev and the card will be stacked with world championship action, domestic title fights and the very best young stars in the game,” Hearn said, per Sky Sports.
“Get ready for the next episode from the biggest star in world boxing."
In the wake of Conor McGregor’s fight against Floyd Mayweather last month, there’s been plenty of talk about which fighters could switch sports.
Indeed, Joshua said that he’d be open to an MMA fight but would probably “get beaten”.
Joshua: I knew Mayweather was going to win
In an interview at the GQ Awards, the British champion was asked for his thoughts on Mayweather’s victory.
“I watched it in the morning but I kind of knew Mayweather was going to win because he’s one of the elites of the sport and I think you don’t bet against the house.
“Mayweather, you know, he’s a winner at every stage of his career so I congratulate him for his excellence over 50 fights. Phenomenal.”
On the cross-sport contest, Joshua added: “This is fighting. They changed the game. Now people want to start crossing over into different sports so I think it’s good.
“Conor was calling him out, saying he’s a new face and the king of boxing and Mayweather had to defend his throne, and he did it so he can sit back in retirement now.”
What would AJ do if Conor called him out?
Joshua was then asked how he would respond if McGregor called him out, which led to a pretty humorous response.
“He’s a different weight!,” Joshua said before bursting into laughter. “I’m not going to start trash talking here!”
Joshua ended the interview by joking: “Conor, I’ll knock you out!”
Check out the video below.
McGregor was willing to face Mayweather in the ring but we highly doubt he’d do the same for Joshua.
While Mayweather schooled the Irishman over 10 rounds, Joshua would knock him out inside one.
On his fight against Pulev, AJ said, per Sky Sports: “I think he matches jab for jab and leans back in the eastern European style. I'll have to show him I'm the bully in the ring, and I'm the king of boxing.
"If I can, I'd like to secure my 20th victory with my 20th knockout."