Anthony Joshua has confirmed he will make the first defence of his IBF heavyweight championship against undefeated American Dominic Breazeale at The O2 on June 25.
The Brit won the title earlier this month after he knocked out Charles Martin in the second round at the O2 Arena.
Despite winning the belt only a matter of weeks ago, Joshua has been actively looking to fight again and promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed last week he would return in June.
Joshua, who has won all of his 16 fights to date via knockout, has now revealed he will meet Breazeale, who has stopped 15 of his 17 opponents inside the scheduled distance.
The 30-year-old was one of a number of opponents that Joshua was considering but the Watford-born star insists he will win as he looks to set up a unification contest against Tyson Fury later in the year.
“I can’t tell you how excited I am to fight again, especially at The O2 which I have made my fortress,” said Joshua.
“My coaches have watched Breazeale for a long time and they knew he was going to be a player in the division and now we get the chance to go to war on June 25.
“I am looking to get past Breazeale in style and continue moving towards the unification fight everybody is waiting for.”
Hearn has also confirmed that Martin Murray and George Groves will fight each other on same the bill in two months’ time. The former is fighting this weekend on the undercard of Anthony Crolla’s WBA lightweight title defence against Ismael Barroso.
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