Kubrat Pulev to donate half of his purse from Anthony Joshua fight to coronavirus medics

Kubrat Pulev said he will donate half of his purse from his world heavyweight title fight against Anthony Joshua to help medical workers fight the coronavirus.

Joshua's world title defence against Pulev, which was originally scheduled for June 20 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A new date for the fight is still being worked on, but, when it does go ahead, Pulev, one of Bulgaria's most popular athletes, is planning to use part of his proceeds to help battle the pandemic.

"I will donate 50 per cent of the money I earn from the match with Joshua to the tireless heroes in the fight against the coronavirus," Pulev told German daily Bild on Sunday.

"I will give doctors, nurses and hospitals the necessary equipment to deal with this devilish virus."

Pulev is the IBF mandatory challenger for Joshua, who also holds the WBA 'super' and WBO titles.

The 38-year-old previously challenged for the IBF world heavyweight title in 2014, when he lost to Wladimir Klitschko in Hamburg via fifth-round knockout.

"I learned from that. The entire strategy for the fight was wrong. I was much too open and put a lot of pressure early," Pulev said.

Joshua, 30, reclaimed the WBA, WBO and IBF belts with a unanimous points win over Andy Ruiz Jr in December.