ANTHONY JOSHUA has been ordered to fight Luis Ortiz by the World Boxing Association.
British superstar Joshua bagged the WBA belt in his Wembley win over Wladimir Klitschko and has been told he must now fight the mandatory challenger Ortiz.
The WBA have now told both camps to begin talks and have given them 30 days from August 3 to come to an agreement.
In January they said the winner of Joshua vs Klitschko would have to face Ortiz within 120 days of their April 29 bout – when AJ will almost certainly end up smoking a fat Cuban.
With 95 days now gone and Klitschko announcing his retirement, Joshua has been told to face the 38-year-old Ortiz.
Joshua also has a mandatory fight with Bulgarian ‘Cobra’ Kubrat Pulev under the IBF commission that needs to be booked in.
When asked about the potential fight with Pulev, Joshua said, “Pulev’s a good fight.
“Look how (aggressively) he came to fight Klitschko (in 2014).
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“He came with his heart on his sleeve. It may not be the fan favourite fight, but it’s one we need to get through to get to better things.”
Klitschko this morning paid tribute to Joshua the day after he announced he had called time on a his stellar career.
The Ukrainian tweeted: “My HEART is at PEACE as I pass the torch to @anthonyfjoshua – the next generation. Good luck little bro, I’m proud of you!”
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