Boxing: Anthony Joshua Gets New Challenger

Joshua was originally billed to square up against Bulgarian challenger, Pulev but he now has a new opponent in Frenchman Takam.
Nigeria-born British boxer, Anthony Joshua, now has a new challenger for his mandatory title defense fight billed for Saturday, October 28.

Joshua was originally billed to square up against Bulgarian challenger, Pulev but he now has a new opponent in Frenchman Takam.

It is understood that Pulev picked up a shoulder injury in training and was told by doctors he would not be fit for the Principality Stadium fight.

In this light, the WBA and IBF heavyweight champion Joshua will now defend against Takam, who was next in line in the IBF rankings for a mandatory shot.

Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, desperately tried to keep the show on with almost 80,000 fans expected at the Cardiff stadium.

They secured the signature of Takam just hours after Pulev pulled out and Joshua’s team agreed to the late change.

Pulev had suffered a shoulder injury during a sparring session in his training camp in Germany.

Many await to see how Takam will fare against Joshua who has won all of his 19 professional fights by knockout and is well on track to become the greatest heavyweight champion of all time.