Anthony Joshua has until the end of this month to agree to terms for a fight with mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev, as mandated by the International Boxing Federation (IBF).
The British Nigerian boxer recently regained his titles in a rematch against Andy Ruiz Jnr. in Saudi Arabia in December 2019.
An IBF spokesperson told Sky Sports in a statement: “I have just been told that the Pulev and Joshua camps have asked until January 31 to negotiate.”
If Joshua fails to reach an agreement for the fight, he risks losing the belt.
Additionally, Joshua will need to face Oleksandr Usyk, the mandatory challenger to his WBO title, before June 4th. Failure to agree to a bout with the Ukrainian former cruiserweight king by that date will result in Joshua being forced to vacate his belt.