SAN FRANCISCO, November 17, (THEWILL) – The venue for British boxer Anthony Joshua’s world title defence against challenger Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev next month is set to be switched from The O2 to the SSE Arena, reports monitored by THEWILL affirm.
The fight for Joshua’s WBA, WBO, and IBF heavyweight belts was scheduled for The O2 on Saturday, December 12. However, the second lockdown occasioned by recent spikes in coronavirus infections has all but completely put paid to all plans of staging the fight in front of a limited crowd.
Two weeks ago, Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, indicated he was considering taking the fight abroad to a venue permitted to hold fans. But, as these reports claim, it is now almost certain that it will shift to the SSE, formerly known as the Wembley Arena, iconic London venue for live events.
“It is looking like Wembley Arena,” Hearn revealed.
“We are set up there at the moment and obviously the situation with a second lockdown has changed things. We were hoping for a crowd at The O2, maybe 4,000 people, and we might possibly be allowed 1,000 but it’s hard to say at this point.
“We have been talking to the DCMS (the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) and we just have to go stage by stage and see. AJ is ready to go. He just wants to fight.”
The champion Joshua has gone without a fight since December last year, when he won his rematch against Andy Ruiz.
At present, there is a loose arrangement in place for two bouts with WBC champion, the self-styled “Gypsy King” Tyson Fury. Fury confirmed on Sunday that his Saturday, December 5 clash with German boxer Agit Kabayel has been abandoned amid the legal wrangling with Deontay Wilder over a trilogy fight.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
