British world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will take on Kubrat Pulev at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday 20 June.
Joshua regained his world titles in December 2019 when he defeated Andy Ruiz Jr by unanimous decision, having previously lost them in a shock defeat to the Mexican-American.
The British superstar was then ordered to a mandatory title defence by the IBF.
Mandatory Challenger
AJ will now defend his belt on home soil against mandatory challenger Pulev.
The Bulgarian contender has lost just once in 29 fights, his sole loss coming against Wladimir Klitschko in a title fight back in 2013.
The 38-year-old will now be looking to take gold in only the second world title fight of his career.
“I am happy to have the opportunity to show the world how strong I really am,” Pulev said.
Homecoming
The bout will be Joshua’s first in the UK since he defeated Alexander Povetkin at Wembley back in September 2018.
Joshua and Pulev had been set to face-off once before, with a fight scheduled in Cardiff back in October 2017.
However, Pulev was forced to withdraw from the fight after suffering an injury during sparring, with Carlos Takam his replacement.
Joshua ultimately stopped Takam in the 10th round to defend his titles.
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Undisputed Dreams
Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn also revealed that talks are now underway for an all-British superfight between AJ and Tyson Fury.
Joshua has long expressed his interest in a unification bout as he looks to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis.
Fury recently defeated Deontay Wilder to take the WBC title, putting the Gypsy King firmly in his British counterpart’s cross-hairs.
Joshua must first see off his own challenger, while Fury will be required to meet Wilder for a third time.
(Featured image source: Instagram/ Anthony Joshua and Kubrat Pulev)