British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua could see himself offered an IBF world eliminator against Carlos Takam, with the winner becoming the mandatory challenger for the world title, which is currently held by Charles Martin.
Martin defeated Glazkov earlier this month to become the world champion of the title that was stripped off Tyson Fury. Joshua has the opportunity to put himself in contention for a title shot.
Erkan Teper and Carlos Takam are currently the next two fighters in the IBF rankings but Teper was recently banned for two years for failing a drug test, after testing positive to a banned substance after his win against David Price, which leaves Joshua next in line.
IBF chairman Lindsey Tucker told Sky Sports: “Teper and Takam are the next two, but if there is a problem with either one, we would go to Joshua.
“If Teper is out, yes it will be Takam and Joshua. They will be fighting for the No 1 position, which is the mandatory challenge.
“We would give them the standard 30-day negotiation period and then if they did not reach the decision we would call for a purse bid.”
Joshua comes off a win against foe Dillian Whyte in December, adding the British strap to his Commonwealth belt.
Cameroonian Takam comes off a win against George Arias in November. The 35-year-old has a respectable record, winning 33 of his 36 fights with 2 losses and 1 draw. He has also faced the likes of Alexander Povetkin, Tony Thompson and Mike Perez in recent times.
– Oun Abbas Hussain / @ouney86
– Managing Editor for Behind the Gloves.
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