Joshua ‘never so excited’ as he prepares for Pulev bout

Anthony Joshua says he has “never been so excited” as he prepares to defend his heavyweight belts against Kubrat Pulev ahead of a potential all-British showdown with Tyson Fury.

Joshua regained the WBA, IBF and WBO titles with a unanimous points win over Andy Ruiz Jr in Saudi Arabia in December.

That victory saw the Briton avenge the first defeat of his professional career, in New York last June.

He is now set to face Bulgaria’s Pulev at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

“I’ve never been so excited before,” said the 30-year old in a video for sponsors Land Rover.

“I’m back in London, back on my home turf, fighting against a formidable opponent.”

“Training has already started so I’m in a better place than I was last year due to the lessons I had to learn and Pulev will reveal some new skills and definitely a new style.

“Ruiz is a lot shorter, a lot wider. Pulev is a lot taller, a lot slimmer so will require a different strategy and tactics.”

Fury brought Deontay Wilder’s five-year reign as WBC heavyweight champion to a dramatic halt in Las Vegas last month, sparking intense speculation about a blockbuster battle against Joshua.

“The fight can happen when Tyson Fury gets past Deontay Wilder and when I get past Kubrat Pulev,” said Joshua.

“If Fury wants that fight to happen, he’ll make it happen and congratulations to him on his last performance. He’s had two good fights in his career in my opinion, against (Wladimir) Klitschko and Deontay Wilder and he’s managed to win them both so he’s on a high right now.”