ANTHONY JOSHUA fights for his first title on October 11 at The O2 in London where he faces Denis Bakhtov for the WBC International heavyweight title, live on Sky Sports on a packed card in the capital.
Joshua returns to the venue he made his pro debut to take on the Russian who is a two-time holder of the title who most recently claimed an eight-round win over Konstantin Airich who Joshua faces at the Phones 4u Arena in Manchester on September 13, live on Sky Sports.
It’s a massive night for Welsh star Lee Selby as he takes on Joel Brunker in a final eliminator for the IBF featherweight title. Selby has been in red hot form over the last 18 months, claiming the Lonsdale Belt outright and bursting onto the world scene with wins over Viorel Simeon and Romulu Koasicha. Unbeaten Brunker has designs on the world title held by Evgeny Gradovich, and the Australian will provide Selby with his toughest challenge of his career to date.
There’s a great line-up of London fighters in title action on the undercard as John Ryder faces Sergey Khomitsky for the WBA Inter-Continental Middleweight title, Ricky Boylan meets Tyler Goodjohn for the English Light Welterweight title and John Wayne Hibbert tackles Philip Bowes for the Southern Area Light Welterweight title, with Tommy Martin, Ohara Davies and Ben Hall also fighting on the bill.
“I believe that the time is right for Anthony to step up and fight for his first title,” said Hearn. “He has an important clash with Airich in Manchester in September, and when he comes through that, he will be ready to face Bakhtov in what promises to be a cracking contest.
“It’s a huge night for Lee Selby and one that will show that he is ready for a World title shot. Brunker is a tough and talented Aussie with plenty of ambition, but I believe that Lee has timed his run to the top perfectly and will do the business on October 11.
“I think that Ryder versus Khomitsky is a fantastic fight and one that would put John in a great position if he can land the win, while the clashes between Boylan and Goodjohn and Hibbert and Bowes have plenty of local pride at stake.”
