Team Pulev looking to stage Joshua fight in Croatia

Pulev’s manager says there is a unique stadium they’re interested in.

As Kubrat Pulev looks to secure his world title shot against Anthony Joshua, the sides are currently trying to find a suitable landing spot. Joshua-Pulev was originally slated to be held in the UK at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but with the coronavirus shutdown and the fact that crowds likely won’t be able to attend, that’s not so much an option any longer.

While Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn has undoubtedly been in contact with his Saudi friends about a possible venue, Pulev’s team now has their own suggestion for a potential location, as told by manager Ivaylo Gotsev.

“For our part, we are discussing Croatia,” Pulev’s manager Ivaylo Gotsev told local Bulgarian media. “There is a unique Roman stadium ‘Pula Arena’ and we are in active conversation. We like this variant because it is in Europe, in the middle of the continent. The arena itself predisposes to an unprecedented event in our times.”

Gotsev acknowledges that they’ll need Joshua’s approval for this to happen, and rules out Pulev’s home country of Bulgaria for the fight by saying that Joshua has flatly rejected that idea. That’s not much of a surprise though, as no champion with the stature of Joshua would willingly travel to fight in the challenger’s backyard.