Anthony Joshua’s homecoming clash with Kubrat Pulev could be moved abroad after the new coronavirus restrictions all-but ruled out the return of fans.
Promoter Eddie Hearn had long hoped to welcome a small crowd when AJ defends his unified heavyweight titles against Pulev on December 12.
The fight is slated for London’s O2 Arena but, following the announcement of another national lockdown, Hearn admitted they may now look for somewhere where supporters can attend.
‘We will try to have fans at the AJ fight but we could also take it somewhere internationally,’ he said after Oleksandr Usyk’s victory over Derek Chisora on Saturday night.
“The lockdown news is heartbreaking for the country… I think all our cards are safe, we speak to the DCMS a couple of times a week to push crowds and see what we can do.”
The lack of fans has forced everyone to take a pay cut, with Joshua missing out on £8million of gate revenue when he faces Pulev.
“The problem is nobody has any confidence to agree to anything in December, let alone January or February,” Hearn added.
“People won’t sign things for April or May because they don’t know if they will be open.”
Hearn has already held talks with sites in the Middle East and China over staging an undisputed title fight between AJ and Tyson Fury in 2021.
But the lingering threat of coronavirus could force that fight to be delayed, with Hearn admitting it would only happen behind closed doors “if the world remains the same.”
“If live crowds are not back by next May or June, all sports have major problems to make major fights,” he said.
Should AJ and Fury fail to agree on a deal, Joshua will ‘one million percent’ fight Usyk, who cemented his position as WBO mandatory challenger with victory over Chisora.
