ANTHONY JOSHUA could face Kubrat Pulev in front of 2,000 people at the O2 Arena in November.
The heavyweights were supposed to meet in an IBF mandatory defence in June, until the coronavirus pandemic KO’d live sport.
With British boxing making a return this month, and promoter Eddie Hearn set to stage four behind closed doors events next month, Joshua’s next fight is back on track.
And following the government’s announcement of reduced crowds targeted for an October return, AJ could find himself fighting at the O2 Arena for the first time since 2016.
Dereck Chisora’s heavyweight headliner against Oleksandr Usyk is also planned to have an audience in attendance.
Hearn told The Telegraph: “We are making plans to stage the rest of the year behind closed doors with the exception of those two events, which will be pay per view.
“We are trialling the world snooker championships with 350 fans at the Crucible in Sheffield and we are working towards crowds in October and the end of November for Dereck and then AJ.
“It may be a case of convincing people to attend, and going through the right procedures to get people into the O2 Arena.
“It won’t be easy, but it’s our ambition to do it.”
Hearn named the O2 as the most likely venue for Joshua’s unified title defence.
Should AJ beat Pulev, he has verbally agreed to a two-fight deal in 2021 with WBC champion Tyson Fury.
The pair exchanged a conversation in Marbella, where Hearn revealed they urged each other to avoid slip ups in their next bouts.
