Tag: Wembley

Kubrat Pulev reportedly deported en route to Fury-Wilder fight

Kubrat Pulev was just trying to make it to the Wilder-Fury II card when he was deported to Bulgaria by US immigration officials.

While two top heavyweights were busy duking it out Saturday night inside the ring, one contender found himself in the throes of the U.S. immigration system.

Kubrat Pulev, a longtime contender, was deported to his home country of Bulgaria after trying to board a flight from Chicago to Las Vegas to attend the rematch between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, which ended with Fury stopping Wilder in stunning fashion in the seventh round.

The Athletic first reported the news.

It’s not clear why Pulev (28-1, 14 KOs) was deported but it likely means he won’t be setting up training camp in the U.S. anytime soon. The Bulgarian, the mandatory challenger for one of Anthony Joshua’s titles, is tentatively slated to take on British star in June. The fight is expected to take place at either Wembley Stadium or the newly built Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

This is not the first time Pulev has made negative headlines. The boxer came under fire for kissing a female reporter without consent last summer.

Seahawks seem likely to play internationally again in 2020

Two of the Seattle Seahawks’ away opponents in 2020, the Falcons and the Dolphins, are both hosting a game internationally.

In 2018, the Seattle Seahawks traveled to Wembley Stadium to face the Oakland Raiders, part of the NFL’s London Games. The Seahawks earned a commanding 27-3 victory in their first, and to date only, game outside of the United States.

That could change in 2020, as two of Seattle’s away games will be against the Atlanta Falcons and the Miami Dolphins – both teams who have committed to hosting a “home” game in either London or Mexico City.

It is not yet clear if Seattle’s arrangement with either of those teams will end up outside of the United States, but it certainly seems possible they will be a part of one of the international games for the second time in three years.

The NFL’s contract with Wembley Stadium is up after this season, so the Seahawks could even make history by playing the final NFL game there, if the schedule falls that way – or they could play the first game in franchise history in Mexico City, a site that has hosted one game in each of the past four seasons.

The NFL will announce their full schedule in April.

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Anthony Joshua could fight at Tottenham instead of occupied Wembley

Anthony Joshua’s next fight could take place in a new venue. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium officials have been keen on hosting the heavyweight.

If Anthony Joshua’s next fight takes place in his hometown of London, don’t expect it to take place at Wembley Stadium.

Promoter Eddie Hearn told The Independent that a scheduling conflict might prevent Joshua from fighting at the 90,000-seat venue, which has become the de facto home for the British heavyweight who regained his titles from Andy Ruiz Jr. this past Saturday in Saudi Arabia. Instead, Joshua and Co. might turn to another soccer stadium nearby.

“Wembley does not look great, date wise,” Hearn said. “Tottenham Hotspur is a nice new stadium for a U.K. fight and we have to look at it.”

The stadium, named for the popular soccer club, has a seating capacity of 62,000. It opened its doors in April.

“The phone has gone crazy with people saying ‘bring him here, bring him here,’” Hearn said.

Joshua is expected to face one of his mandatory challengers in Oleksandr Usyk or Kubrat Pulev.

Hearn said Joshua wants to fight back home after having traveled for both of his fights of 2019, a loss to Ruiz in New York and the victory in the Middle East.

“People have seen what we have just done in Saudi Arabia,” Hearn said, “and there are a lot of options internationally, but A.J. wants to box back in the U.K.”