Manchester United may host Anthony Joshua’s next fight at Old Trafford News

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Manchester United may host Anthony Joshua’s next fight at Old Trafford

By Daily Sports on May 8, 2018

Anthony Joshua’s next fight could be at Old Trafford against Alexander Povetkin, according to Matchroom chairman Barry Hearn.

Joshua holds the IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles, and is currently in negotiations about where to stage his next fight.

His options are for him to have a unification showdown with WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, a fight in America against Jarrell Miller, or a mandatory defence against Povetkin.

If it is the fight with Povetkin, it would almost certainly take place in the UK, with the home of Manchester United one of the venues on the table.

If Joshua does fight at Old Trafford, it would be the first boxing event to take place at the stadium in almost 25 years, since Chris Eubank drew with Nigel Benn in their super-middleweight unification clash in front of over 42,000 fans in October 1993.

It was Barry Hearn who promoted that event and he has revealed what the options are for Joshua's next fight.

“We are meeting on Tuesday afternoon," he said. "There are three main dishes on the menu. Fight Deontay Wilder either home or away, face Jarrell Miller in New York to spread gospel in America before we fight Wilder, or do we honour our mandatory and fight Povetkin, with it being at Wembley or maybe at Manchester United. It is a possibility," Hearn told BetFred TV.

“I can't tell you what is most likely because it is Anthony Joshua's decisions. I would like to go to New York and fight Miller because at the moment the pay-per-view buys are set at a certain level for Deontay Wilder.

"Those will grow and grow providing both fighters stay undefeated, and if they do, instead of 600,000 buys you are looking at two million. Wilder wants the fight, he isn't ducking him. At the moment he is earning £2.5m, and he wants to earn £25m."

Povetkin's last fight took place on the undercard of Joshua's unification fight with Joseph Parker at the Principality Stadium in March, with the Russian heavyweight knocking out David Price inside five rounds.

Povetkin is the current mandatory challenger for Joshua's WBA belt, meaning the fight is going to have to happen at some point in the near future. He has a record of 34 wins and just one defeat, with that loss coming against former heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko back in 2013.

More details on Joshua’s next opponent is expected to come this week while his chief Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn – son of Barry – is in New York.

Wilder's team have made an alleged offer of $50m to Joshua, but Hearn wants assurances on certain issues such as where the money is coming from and where the fight will be staged.(Manchester Evening News)

•Photo shows Joshua

Source Daily Sports

Posted May 8, 2018