Could Anthony Joshua and Kubrat Pulev fight in Croatia?
Pulev’s manager told Bulgarian media that he and Joshua’s handlers are discussing the possibility of staging the title fight in a Roman amphitheater in Pula, Croatia.
Joshua was scheduled to defend his titles against Pulev on June 20 at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London but the fight was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Ivaylo Gotsev, Pulev’s manager, pitched the amphitheater as an unusual option. It has been the site of a variety of events, including a Felix Sturm fight in 2005.
No date has been set.
“For our part, we are discussing Croatia,” he told the journalists from Bulgaria, Pulev’s native country. “There is a unique Roman stadium, Pula Arena, and we are in active conversation. We like this variant because it is in Europe, in the middle of the continent. The arena itself predisposes to an unprecedented event in our times.
“There must be mutual consent. We want the conditions and rules to be favorable for both parties. [Joshua promoter Eddie] Hearn is talking about the Middle East, and we have left it to him to communicate in that direction.
“Bulgaria it cannot be, because Joshua will not agree. He wanted to be home, but force majeure led to a change. Kubrat was ready to fight in Joshua’s backyard and even if his family were judges!”
The handlers of Joshua and Tyson Fury, who is set to fight Deontay Wilder a third time, reportedly have had conversations about jumping directly into a title-unification bout. However, Pulev and Wilder evidently do not intend to step aside.