Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev set for October 28

Anthony Joshua is set to return to action, as the IBF and WBA heavyweight titleholder will defend against Kubrat Pulev on October 28 in Cardiff, Wales, headlining a Sky Box Office bill.

Joshua (19-0, 19 KO) is of course coming off of an epic 11th round stoppage of Wladimir Klitschko on April 29, a remarkable heavyweight slugfest that saw both men dropped in a back-and-forth battle, where Joshua’s power eventually won out.

Pulev (25-1, 13 KO) is a legitimate contender, but the 36-year-old Bulgarian will be the major underdog. He faced Klitschko back in 2014, and was knocked out in the fifth round. Pulev has won five straight since then, most notably a 2016 win over Dereck Chisora. In his last outing, he defeated Kevin Johnson via unanimous decision on April 28 in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Joshua, 27, had hoped to rematch Klitschko, potentially by bringing a heavily-hyped fight to Las Vegas and making his U.S. debut, but Klitschko retired on August 3 instead of exercising his contractual right to a second bout with Joshua.