Anthony Joshua

Joshua beat Wladimir Klitschko at London's Wembley Stadium in April to add the WBA belt to his IBF title. Pulev is the mandatory challenger for Joshua's IBF belt and will fight for it in Cardiff, Wales.

"October 28 can't come soon enough. I have been eager to get back in the ring since Wembley and now we are confirmed and ready,'' Joshua said on Tuesday.

"I'll be locked away focusing on fight No. 20 for the next eight weeks. I am excited to experience the atmosphere in a sold out Principality Stadium and aim to give the fans a spectacular night,'' Joshua said.

The big Brit, who dominates the division with the IBF, WBA and IBO belts, is lining up a mandatory defence of his IBF title against Kubrat Pulev.

Parker, meanwhile, is getting ready to defend his WBO title against Hughie Fury in Manchester on September 23.

Sky Sports in the UK asked Joshua to run through potential opponents for the future and he was quick to target Parker with a unification bout beckoning if both can remain unbeaten.

It seems the Floyd Mayweather versus Conor McGregor bout this weekend in Las Vegas has caused a real buzz in fight circles.

Joshua isn't the only one who has had his interest pricked. Fellow British fighters Tony Bellew and Dillian Whyte have also expressed an openness to taking on MMA opponents.

Joshua, who has the WBA, IBF and IBO belts to be the dominant heavyweight in the boxing world, has the highest profile but concedes he would be vulnerable in a cross-code fight, even with certain conditions. 

IBF, WBA and IBO heavyweight champion Joshua knocked out veteran Klitschko in the 11th round in an epic Wembley bout in April.

It had been expected that Klitschko, whose nine-year reign as lineal world heavyweight champion was ended by Tyson Fury in 2015, would agree to a rematch with Joshua in Las Vegas.

However, the 41-year-old instead decided to hang up his gloves, a decision the unbeaten Joshua said he saw coming.

"In my heart of hearts I kind of knew he probably wouldn't fight again," he said.

It was initially unclear whether Khan had been hacked as a series of messages from his official Twitter account detailed an apparent split with wife Faryal.

Khan's verified account and a Twitter page purportedly belonging to Faryal duly traded insults and accusations, with the latter said to have "moved up in the weight classes" to see Joshua. Faryal's tweets were later deleted.

Seemingly eager to distance himself from any involvement in the controversy, Joshua responded by tweeting a clip from the video for Shaggy's famous single 'It Wasn't Me'.

Joshua holds the IBF, IBO and WBA (super) heavyweight belts after knocking out Klitschko in the 11th round of a thrilling contest at Wembley Stadium in April.

Last month, Hearn confirmed Las Vegas was the front-runner to host a rematch and it now appears an official announcement of the fight's location and date may not be long in coming.

Hearn told Sky Sports News: "I've been in Vegas with AJ, officially applying for my Nevada boxing license to promote there and that went well.

Parker defends his WBO World Heavyweight title against Fury in Manchester on September 23, with the winner placing themselves in prime position for a showdown with WBA and IBF champion Joshua.

Joshua has a rematch against Wladimir Klitschko and a challenge from IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev to get through first, but the promoters of both Joshua and Parker met on Tuesday (NZ time) to talk up a showdown between their two prize fighters in 2018.

Joseph Parker's team met Anthony Joshua promotor Eddie Hearn to discuss a potential fight next year.

Joshua retained his IBF crown and gained the WBA and lesser-regarded IBO belts by stopping Klitschko in the 11th round of an epic battle at Wembley Stadium in April.

The champion is awaiting a decision on the second bout from the 41-year-old Ukrainian, who hinted at retirement following just his fifth career defeat in London.

Promoter Eddie Hearn has held discussions with Klitschko's manager Bernd Bonte and feels a Las Vegas bout could be the key to locking the fight in, though Nigeria, Dubai and Cardiff are also in the hosting mix.

Joshua added the WBA and IBO belts, vacated by Fury who is without a licence amid a hearing into alleged anti-doping offences, to his IBF strap with a thrilling 11th-round TKO of Wladimir Klitschko.

He said on Tuesday that Fury is top of his list and his British compatriot, who claims he is still the lineal champion, duly responded to those comments, saying in an Instagram post that "the world wants to see it" but that he does not believe Joshua can lace his boots up.

Joshua, 27, knocked out Wladimir Klitschko in May to add the WBA title to the IBF strap he already held.

But Tyson - a two-time world heavyweight champion - has warned the position can be "a crown of thorns".

In a wide-ranging interview with BBC Radio 5 live boxing's Mike Costello, Tyson outlined his belief in Joshua's ability, gave his views on a potential Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor bout and offered insight into the man who turned him into the youngest heavyweight champion in history.