Kubrat Pulev expects his mandatory fight with IBF, IBO, WBA, WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua to take place on July 25.

At the moment the contest is scheduled to take place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 20.

But the July date has been set aside as the June date becomes more and more less likely due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

At the moment, UK events are suspended until the end of May.

Eddie Hearn, the head promoter for the Joshua-Pulev card, was forced to cancel all of his planned events for March, April, and May.

Long in advance, Hearn set aside the date of July 25, but he also doesn't rule out the possibility of the event being pushed back even further.

"Despite humanity's most difficult fight to date and the underestimation of the effects on the world of the coronavirus, we will be forced to learn to live in a new, not so pleasant, way that millions of people around the world will be mildly unhappy," Pulev said.

"Despite the difficulties, we must find new opportunities to smile, to transform our lives so that despite all the unpleasant things, to remain happy and to believe in a better future, and that all of this is, after all, for good.

"This is exactly why, despite my real view of the situation, I strongly believe that a world title match can be held on the new date of July 25th. Let's prove that we humans are quickly adaptable, super flexible, with unlimited capabilities, and more powerful than a single virus.

"I personally would be very pleasantly surprised if the match took place on this date! This will prove to me that we can be united and live and work in harmony and that we may not be so far behind in thinking!"