(Picture: Photo Wende) By Scott Gilfoid: The International Boxing Federation (IBF) has ordered IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (62-3, 52 KO’s) to face No.1 IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev (20-0, 11 KO’s) next. Wladimir now has to face one of his toughest tests in perhaps 10 years in fighting the 6’4 1/2″ Pulev. I previously thought Pulev had no chance of beating Wladimir, but after seeing the improvement in Pulev’s game in his last two fights, I believe he’s now good enough to possibly beat Wladimir.
This can’t be good news for Wladimir, because Pulev, if nothing else, is a jabbing machine and he could pull off a minor upset in beating the 6’6″ Wladimir. In fact, I see the fight as a 50-50 proposition due to Pulev’s jab, youth, size and excellent body punching. Until recently, Pulev was more of a jabber, but he’s added body punching to his arsenal and that’s made him a much better fighter offensively.
Pulev’s promoter Kalle Sauerland said on his twitter “Confirmed: Klitschko must face Kubrat Pulev next as ordered by the IBF.”
I imagine Wladimir can’t be too happy about this news, as he’s had it easy for the past decade fighting the likes of Alex Leapai, Jean Marc Mormeck, Francesco Pianeta, Mariusz Wach, Tony Thompson, and Calvin Brock. Wladimir hasn’t had anyone near the same talent level as the former Olympian Pulev, and it’s going to be a big step up in class for Wladimir.
Wladimir recently said he was interested in fighting for another 10 years, but it’s possible that he might have second thoughts about that if he loses this fight to Pulev.
“That’s what I call a late birthday gift,” Pulev said. “I was ringside when Wladimir defended his belts a few weeks ago. It was a walk in the park for him against Leapai. When Klitschko meets me inside the ring, I will cause him real problems to say the least. I will show the fans worldwide that Klitschko is no invincible machine and fulfil my dream.”
Pulev is a big guy with deceiving power. He doesn’t tend to get knockouts with one punch, but he can wear you down with his bludgeoning attacks. Getting hit by a fighter as big as Pulev wears a fighter down. But Pulev definitely has knockout power when punching to the body, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he sends the 6’6″ Wladimir down with a hard body shot for the 10 count. Pulev might be better off focusing his attacks to the body, because Wladimir will surely be tying him up all night long in clinch after clinch in this fight.
“The negotiations with Team Klitschko have already begun,” Sauerland said. “We are excited to present a heavyweight bout in cooperation with K2, which is deserving of its ‘Heavyweight World Championship’ status.”
This is a fight that Wladimir should have gotten out of the way a long time ago instead of fighting guys like Pianeta, Mormeck, and Mariusz Wach. The fact that Wladimir waited until the IBF ordered him to take the fight with Pulev seems to suggest that Wladimir isn’t interested in facing the huge fighter, and I’m not surprised if that’s the case. Pulev is one of two fighters in the heavyweight division that can fight Wladimir on his own terms due to his size, excellent jab, and powerful body punching. The other heavyweight who would give Wladimir problems is the 6’7″ Deontay Wilder with his one-punch power.
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