Eddie Hearn has confirmed that Anthony Joshua will have his next two fights at Wembley Stadium.
The unified world heavyweight champion will return to the national stadium for the first time since beating Wladimir Klitschko in April 2017 and both events are expected to draw massive interest.
Joshua will defend his IBF, WBA and WBO belts on September 22nd with Alexander Povetkin set to be announced as the opponent as the mandatory challenger for the WBA strap held by the British fighter.
Povetkin might not be a name known by many casual boxing fans but like Joshua, he is an Olympic Champion and earned his shot at the King with a devastating KO of David Price on the under-card of the Carlos Takam bout in Cardiff back in March.
That follows the collapse in talks for Joshua to meet Deontay Wilder but there is still hope of a monster showdown for all four belts in 2019, with Matchroom already confirming that AJ will be back at Wembley for a fight on April 13th.
The potential for that to be a fight with Wilder remains according to to the parties involved with the capacity set to be increased to 100,000 for that event in 2019. Both sides in the Wilder Joshua camps are blaming each other for the failure to agree a fight for September, but it remains one of the most anticipated potential events in the sport so there remains hope that an agreement can be reached.
Other options for the April date include a rematch with Dillian Whyte, assuming he beats Joseph Parker later this month, with the pair involved in a long rivalry in the amateur and pro ranks. Joshua stopped Whyte when they met back in 2015 but it was an exciting fight and the "Body Snatcher" has done nothing but improve since losing that night.
A rematch between the pair is an easy sell and a good back up in the event of the Wilder fight failing to materialise again.
The not so small matter of Tyson Fury remains in the background for Joshua in 2019, although the April date may come a touch too soon for the returning Gypsy King. Fury, a former unified world champion himself, returned to the ring after a near three year absence last month and any fight with Joshua in the next 18 months would be one of the biggest all British fights in the history of the sport.
The exact future remains up in the air for Joshua in terms of who he will face in April but he remains one of the biggest draws in world sport and with the next two fights now confirmed for Wembley, his star is only going to soar.
Boxing fans in the UK have never had it so good.
