The momentum is building toward a lucrative two-fight, title-unification series between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
One potential problem? Kubrat Pulev, Joshua’s next opponent, has no plans to cooperate.
Joshua, who holds three heavyweight titles, and Pulev, mandatory challenger for one of the belts, have no date set because of the coronavirus pandemic but they are expected to meet in late summer or fall.
The location also is uncertain, although sites in the Middle East and Croatia are being considered.
“We’ve got a little history going here, with Kubrat and British heavyweights,” Ivalyo Gotsev, Pulev’s manager, told Sky Sports. “He’s knocked off quite a few. He shut up Derek Chisora because he had a big mouth.
“That was great, then beating another Fury, the little cousin was also a pretty good feat. That was the fight that qualified him to be the No 1 contender to Joshua, another British champion, so there is a little connection there.
“Kubrat versus U.K., I like that. A little name for himself there, so yeah, let’s deal with Joshua first. Let the best man win, and then we’ll look at options with Tyson Fury. Either way, all roads lead to Fury.
“I can say that, because I think he’s shown to be one of the supreme guys out there, if not the supreme guy. He is the man. It would be delightful to face the UK champions, one after another, wouldn’t it?”
Pulev (28-1, 14 KOs) has won eight consecutive fights since his only loss, a fifth-round knockout against then-champion Wladimir Klitschko in 2014. The fight with Joshua (23-1, 21 KOs) is the Bulgarian’s second title shot.
“His mindset is, ‘We’re going to war,’” Gotsev said. “Going to war. It’s a lot of preparation. We know what’s at stake. This is his chance to rise to the top and become the first and only heavyweight champion from our country and that part of the world.
“It’s a very exciting time for him, and he’s doing everything he has to do to get himself ready for this fight. It’s going to be a formidable fight. They’re the same height, same physical strength and let’s see who is the better boxer now and a better fighter of this era.
“Kubrat will present a great challenge for Joshua, that’s all I can say.”
Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, said he would like to stage the fight with Pulev in the U.K. but he’s at the mercy of the pandemic.
“We hope between September and December live gates will return to the U.K.,” Hearn said. “There is also a chance they won’t. If that’s the case, we will take the fight elsewhere. We have had a number of approaches from the Middle East, China, and Croatia to stage the fight.
“We want to give ourselves every opportunity to stage it in the U.K., but we know it may not be possible. We want the mandatory defense boxed off, out of the way, before [Joshua] moves into the undisputed fight next year.”