Kubrat Pulev wants to stage a fight with Anthony Joshua at a neutral venue with the United Kingdom looking highly unlikely to host.
The coronavirus outbreak, of which the UK has been inflicted with the most cases in Europe, means it could be months before crowds are allowed in.
Promoter Eddie Hearn seems determined to host with fans and may now have to look at alternative venues.
It was originally planned to stage the contest at Tottenham Stadium in London.
Pulev has since offered his input after revealing several suggestions that have already been made.
“We offered various destinations, from Istanbul to Las Vegas, New York, or Saudi Arabia,” Pulev told Sky Sports. “Then I got the reply that Joshua would come up against me only in London. Otherwise, there would be no fight at all. And of course, I agreed to this condition.
“I’m not concerned about the place. For example, I never asked for the fight to be in Sofia. From day one I wanted it to take place at a neutral venue. This would be fair to both sides.
“There’s no such thing as an ideal location for a true fighter. He can fight everywhere and he’s not worried about anything.
“Picking a certain destination is for cowards. For those who prefer to talk a lot rather than act.
“I can think of at least two others who fit this description and who have refused to come to Sofia to face me – Dillian Whyte and Jarrell Miller,” he added.
ANTHONY JOSHUA at HOME
The idea of a smaller arena, like The O2, taking the reins with social distancing measures allowing around 5,000 to attend has been mentioned. This seems an unfathomable situation for policing.
Those who do get a ticket will certainly want to drink alcohol, and as the night progresses, the six feet apart rule will go out of the window.
This is just one of the many problems facing organizers as Joshua vs Pulev keeps hitting roadblocks.
