A number of innovative and, in some cases, leftfield venues are being considered for unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua’s rearranged fight date with IBF No.1 contender Kubrat Pulev, according to promoter Eddie Hearn.
The fight was originally scheduled for Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in June before the intervention of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now Joshua’s promoter Hearn is seeking new pastures with the O2 Arena currently the front-runner, but with some more unusual locations remaining in the conversation.
“Other ideas we have are 1,000 people somewhere strange and quirky,” Hearn told the Evening Standard. “I’ve got a few things up my sleeve. We’re talking about castles, plush hotels, maybe even on a boat.
“Croatia have offered a coliseum – and that’s beautiful – and we’re still open to options and flexible. These are all things thinking outside of the box – it just depends what’s allowed.
“By November, can we go to 16,000 people at the O2? Right now, we’re handcuffed by the regulations.”
Should he defeat Pulev, WBA Super, WBO and IBF champion Joshua could face WBC kingpin Tyson Fury in a two-fight series beginning in 2021.