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Steve KimESPN
Unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua suffered a “slight twinge” in his left knee while training, his spokesperson said, and was seen using crutches and wearing a brace while speaking at a Black Lives Matter rally Saturday in Watford, England.
Andy Bell, a spokesperson for Joshua, said the brace is being worn on advice of doctors as a precautionary measure and that there is “no immediate concern” about the knee.
Joshua (23-1, 21 KOs) regained his titles with a unanimous decision in his rematch against Andy Ruiz on Dec. 7 in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.
He will next face mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev (28-1, 14 KOs) at some point in the fall on a date yet to be determined. They were originally scheduled to meet in London on June 20 before the coronavirus pandemic.
Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, said earlier this week that he recently had a conference call with Bob Arum and Ivaylo Gotzev concerning venues. While “we still want the fight to take place in the U.K.,” Hearn said options in the Middle East and Croatia have also been discussed.
“I feel that when that fight will take place, which will probably be October, November, we will be able to have a small number of people in a crowd in the U.K.,” Heard said.
