Anthony Joshua is set to face challenger Kubrat Pulev on December 12 at the O2 Arena in London.
The WBA, IBF, and WBO heavyweight clash is penciled in for that date pending coronavirus restrictions.
That is due to be a week before the provisional December 19 date for Tyson Fury’s WBC title defense against Deontay Wilder.
Promoter Eddie Hearn is hopeful fans will be allowed back into arenas by then.
Hearn is also confident he can run his next show this month – which is expected to be announced this week as the return of Joshua Buatsi – as a pilot event for the reintroduction of supporters.
But Matchroom is awaiting government approval before they can plan for fights with fans again.
Pulev is mandatory for Joshua’s IBF title and the Bulgarian has been keen for the bout to be rescheduled after their June date at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was shelved due to the pandemic.
The belief has been that once Joshua beats Pulev and Fury takes on Wilder in December, then the British pair can take each other on in a huge undisputed clash next year.
Dillian Whyte’s WBC mandatory was an issue but that disappeared last week when he was knocked out by Alexander Povetkin.
But another issue remains and that is a pending WBO mandatory for Joshua.
Ukraine’s former undisputed cruiserweight king Oleksandr Usyk holds that spot and he is not willing to let it go.
Usyk is due to face Derek Chisora later this year and will then turn his attention to forcing his No. 1 position with the WBO.
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