Anthony Joshua's scheduled just freed up and has a plethora of opponents to fight, and promoter Eddie Hearn has detailed a plan for Joshua to fight both of his mandatory challengers.
Hearn talked with Sky Sports and said the plan for Joshua, the unified IBF and WBA champion, is to fight Kubrat Pulev, the IBF's mandatory challenger, first, then fight Luis Ortiz, the WBA's mandatory challenger. After those two fights are done, Joshua would then try to WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder in a unification bout.
"Obviously we now have to fight Pulev and Ortiz and it's going to be a tough balancing act. The Pulev mandatory was called some time ago and we already have signed correspondence that if it's not Klitschko then Pulev must be next. I would say right now the plan is Pulev, Ortiz then if Wilder still has a belt then AJ can relieve him of that next summer. AJ is 100 percent up for fighting Pulev, 100 percent up for fighting Ortiz and 100 percent up for fighting Wilder and he wants to do it in a way to try and capture all belts. It's going to be difficult but let me tell you this young man fears no one," Hearn said.
Joshua was supposed to fight Wladimir Klitschko in a big rematch later this year, although that won't happen now that Klitschko recently announced his retirement.
On that same day, the WBA reissued a mandatory fight between Joshua and Ortiz. Pulev has been the IBF's mandatory challenger to the heavyweight title for several months.
