Anthony Joshua to defend tiles December 12

World heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will defend his titles against mandatory challenger Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev on 12 December at Wembley Arena.

Joshua, 31, holds the IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO world titles.

Up to 1,000 fans will be able to attend, BBC sports reports.

Joshua was due to face the 39-year-old in June but it was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

When did Joshua last fight?

Joshua has not fought since last December when he beat Andy Ruiz Jr in a tense rematch in Saudi Arabia.

The British fighter secured a 118-110 118-110 119-109 points success in front of 14,000 fans in the Diriyah Arena, six months after his Mexican opponent had pulled off a stunning victory.

Who is Kubrat Pulev?

Pulev has suffered just one defeat in 29 fights during an 11-year professional career.

That was a fifth-round knockout inflicted by Wladimir Klitschko in November 2014 on his only previous challenge for the unified world heavyweight title.

British fight fans may remember the Bulgarian enjoying wins over Matt Skelton, Michael Sprott, Derek Chisora and most recently Hughie Fury in 2018.

Who is on the undercard?

Britain’s Lawrence Okolie was set to face Krzysztof Glowacki for the vacant WBO cruiserweight belt but the bout has been cancelled because his opponent tested positive for Covid-19.

Okolie will still fight on the undercard but not for the title, with promoter Eddie Hearn seeking a replacement.

Meanwhile, Hughie Fury will face Poland’s Mariusz Wach, while Congolese fighter Martin Bakole meets Russia’s Sergey Kuzmin for the vacant WBC International Heavyweight title.