Joshua to face Breazeale in 1st IBF title defense

Anthony Joshua will fight Dominic Breazeale in his first IBF heavyweight title defense on June 25 at London’s 02 Arena.

The American was confirmed as Joshua’s opponent after the Brit had last week announced the date of his first title defense.

READ MORE:Boxing: Anthony Joshua sets date for heavyweight title defense

Breazeale is undefeated in his professional career, winning 17 fights, with 15 wins by way of knockout.

The 30-year-old stands at 6ft 7in, and is 13th in the IBF rankings.

His last win came in January, when he stopped fellow American Amir Mansour in the fifth round of their bout at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Joshua won the IBF title by defeating Charles Martin earlier in April. The 26-year-old Londoner knocked Martin to the canvas twice in the second round, causing the referee to stop the fight.

Joshua said the fight with Breazeale was “sure to be explosive,” the BBC reported.  

"I am looking to get past Breazeale in style and continue moving towards the unification fight everybody is waiting for," he added, referring to a much-anticipated matchup with fellow British heavyweight Tyson Fury, who currently holds the WBA, IBO and IBO titles.  

Fury will face a rematch with Wladimir Klitschko in Manchester on July 9, and should he come through that and Joshua win his fight, promoters and fans will be excited at the prospect of a ‘Battle of Britain’ blockbuster.