Anthony Joshua

Pulev pulls out of AJ fight

Unbeaten powerhouse Joshua was due to take on Bulgarian Pulev in his first fight since defending his IBF belt and claiming the WBA and IBO straps by defeating Wladimir Klitschko in an epic encounter at Wembley in April.

However, Pulev - the IBF's mandatory challenger - is not fit to participate in the bout, which was scheduled to take place in Cardiff on October 28, having strained muscles in a sparring session.

Promoters Matchroom confirmed the IBF's third-ranked fighter Takam as replacement for Pulev on Monday.

Parker in Joshua's sights

Joshua's suave promoter Eddie Hearn laid out his ideal plans for 2018, provided his man can come through his defence of the IBF and WBA belts against brutish Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev in Cardiff on October 28.

Hearn felt Wilder, the big-hitting WBC champion, held more appeal than Parker, the undefeated WBO champion who is yet to win over British audiences on the back of his recent ugly defence against Hughie Fury in Manchester.

"I think that's going to be the big fight," Hearn told Boxing News of Joshua stepping in the ring with American Wilder.

Parker 'no threat' to Joshua

     

Parker's majority points decision win over Hughie Fury in Manchester on Sunday (NZ Time) was described as underwhelming by the boxing press.

"Although Parker improved to 24-0 [with 18 knockouts] he did nothing to suggest that he poses a serious threat to the top dog in the division, Anthony Joshua," a report on thesweetscience.com website said.

It described the bout as "a fight without an indelible moment [no surprise there]."

Joshua announces next title defence

Joshua beat Wladimir Klitschko at London's Wembley Stadium in April to add the WBA belt to his IBF title. Pulev is the mandatory challenger for Joshua's IBF belt and will fight for it in Cardiff, Wales.

"October 28 can't come soon enough. I have been eager to get back in the ring since Wembley and now we are confirmed and ready,'' Joshua said on Tuesday.

"I'll be locked away focusing on fight No. 20 for the next eight weeks. I am excited to experience the atmosphere in a sold out Principality Stadium and aim to give the fans a spectacular night,'' Joshua said.

Joshua: Parker is a warrior

The big Brit, who dominates the division with the IBF, WBA and IBO belts, is lining up a mandatory defence of his IBF title against Kubrat Pulev.

Parker, meanwhile, is getting ready to defend his WBO title against Hughie Fury in Manchester on September 23.

Sky Sports in the UK asked Joshua to run through potential opponents for the future and he was quick to target Parker with a unification bout beckoning if both can remain unbeaten.

Joshua open to MMA fight

It seems the Floyd Mayweather versus Conor McGregor bout this weekend in Las Vegas has caused a real buzz in fight circles.

Joshua isn't the only one who has had his interest pricked. Fellow British fighters Tony Bellew and Dillian Whyte have also expressed an openness to taking on MMA opponents.

Joshua, who has the WBA, IBF and IBO belts to be the dominant heavyweight in the boxing world, has the highest profile but concedes he would be vulnerable in a cross-code fight, even with certain conditions. 

Wlad retirement disappointing – AJ

IBF, WBA and IBO heavyweight champion Joshua knocked out veteran Klitschko in the 11th round in an epic Wembley bout in April.

It had been expected that Klitschko, whose nine-year reign as lineal world heavyweight champion was ended by Tyson Fury in 2015, would agree to a rematch with Joshua in Las Vegas.

However, the 41-year-old instead decided to hang up his gloves, a decision the unbeaten Joshua said he saw coming.

"In my heart of hearts I kind of knew he probably wouldn't fight again," he said.

Joshua brushes off Khan rumours

It was initially unclear whether Khan had been hacked as a series of messages from his official Twitter account detailed an apparent split with wife Faryal.

Khan's verified account and a Twitter page purportedly belonging to Faryal duly traded insults and accusations, with the latter said to have "moved up in the weight classes" to see Joshua. Faryal's tweets were later deleted.

Seemingly eager to distance himself from any involvement in the controversy, Joshua responded by tweeting a clip from the video for Shaggy's famous single 'It Wasn't Me'.

Joshua-Klitschko II 'pencilled in' for November 11 – Hearn

Joshua holds the IBF, IBO and WBA (super) heavyweight belts after knocking out Klitschko in the 11th round of a thrilling contest at Wembley Stadium in April.

Last month, Hearn confirmed Las Vegas was the front-runner to host a rematch and it now appears an official announcement of the fight's location and date may not be long in coming.

Hearn told Sky Sports News: "I've been in Vegas with AJ, officially applying for my Nevada boxing license to promote there and that went well.

Joshua keen on Parker bout

Parker defends his WBO World Heavyweight title against Fury in Manchester on September 23, with the winner placing themselves in prime position for a showdown with WBA and IBF champion Joshua.

Joshua has a rematch against Wladimir Klitschko and a challenge from IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev to get through first, but the promoters of both Joshua and Parker met on Tuesday (NZ time) to talk up a showdown between their two prize fighters in 2018.

Joseph Parker's team met Anthony Joshua promotor Eddie Hearn to discuss a potential fight next year.