Joshua confirms fight date

Anthony Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has confirmed the IBF world heavyweight champion will return to the ring on November 26.

Joshua’s opponent has yet to be decided but Hearn told the UK’S Sky Sports that the British star would be fighting away from London’s O2 Arena fir the first time in seven bouts.

‘‘November 26 is the date for your diary. We are changing city. The opponent and venue will be confirmed in the next few weeks,’’ Hearn said.

Kiwi Joseph Parker is Joshua’s mandatory challenger and in July Hearn included him in a list of possible opponents alongside Canada’s Bermane Stiverne and Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev.

Negotiations for Parker’s mandatory title shot are not due to start until November and it is believed he is more likely to meet Joshua early next year.

The undefeated 24-year-old is scheduled to face giant Ukrainian Alexander Dimitrenko in Auckland on October 1.

At the time of the announcement, Parker’s trainer Kevin Barry said the Dimitrenko bout was a preparation for his eventual showdown with Joshua.

However, Parker’s promoter Dean Lonergan has previously indicated that they would be willing to meet in November.

‘‘We’re ready now,’’ Lonergan told Sky Sports in June. ‘‘If Eddie Hearn rang me up tomorrow and says we want to fight in the mandatory period, we want to fight November or December - that would be fantastic.’’

If Parker misses out in November, he could well feature on the undercard of what will be Joshua’s second title defence with Hearn keen to boost his profile in the UK ahead of their mandatory matchup.