Step aside Kubrat Pulev.
The IBF have officially granted the much talked ‘special exception request’ to promoter Eddie Hearn and Anthony Joshua. This means that IBF mandatory challenger Pulev will have to wait for his shot at Joshua. Apparently Pulev and his promoter Sauerland did complain earlier about Hearn’s request but the powers that be thought otherwise.
Hearn recently stated that the fight is going ‘full steam ahead’ and they are looking at different venues already. Wladimir Klitschko still hasn’t given his official answer yet, but it is believed that the Ukrainian will go forward with the rematch and face Joshua again.
There has been talk about possibly doing the event in Nigeria, which is the home country of Joshua’s mother. But most likely the fight will be held at The Principality Stadium in Cardiff due to less stress about organising according to Hearn. A rumoured date for the fight is somewhere around in late October this year.