Johnson: “I will whoop Pulevs ugly a**!”

By Boxing News - 04/27/2017 - Comments

Image: Johnson: "I will whoop Pulevs ugly a**!"

Kevin Johnson (30-7-1, 14 KOs) says he will break Kubrat Pulev (24-1, 13 KOs) down and make him quit when they meet for the WBA Intercontinental Heavyweight title on Friday night at the Arena Armeec in Sofia, Bulgaria.

‘’Pulev doesn’t scare me,’’ said the American heavyweight. ‘’He’s a cartoon character. He might look serious but that’s because he’s an ugly dude, and ugly people always look serious. Whereas, people like me always have a smile on their face. It is what it is. I can smile in person and I can whoop a** in the ring.

‘’On Friday, I’m going to break him down and make him quit. He can take a lot of shots but there will come a time when he’s going to say enough is enough. It might be in the fifth round, it might be in the seventh or it might be in the twelfth. It doesn’t matter; all that matters is that I’m taking that belt home!’’

Johnson can expect to face a partisan crowd in Sofia cheering for their national hero, but the 37 year-old plans to use this to his advantage, as he looks to rejuvenate his career with a victory over the IBF mandatory challenger.

‘’The louder they are and the more they cheer for him, the more energy I’m going to get,’’ he says. ‘’They may be shouting his name but I’m stealing that energy, and when his a** loses, what are they going to say then? People better start supporting me now because I know I got fans here. In fact, the president of Bulgaria called me personally and told me I should whoop his ugly a**!”

FITE TV streaming Kubrat Pulev vs. Kevin Johnson this Friday on PPV live

FITE TV will stream this Friday’s (April 28) “Final Countdown” event, headlined by a heavyweight match of former world title contenders Kubrat “The Cobra” Pulev and Kevin “Kingpin” Johnson, live on pay per view, starting at 2 p.m. ET /11 a.m. PT, from Armeec Arena in Sofia, Bulgaria. Encore presentations will also be available to watch.

FITE TV is a Combat Sports Network that features boxing, MMA and wrestling programming. FITE gives viewers the choice to watch the program on line at www.FITE.tv, on their mobile device or on their WiFi connected television using the FITE app. The FITE app can be downloaded for free at Google Play or the iTunes app stores.

“Final Countdown: Pulev vs. Johnson”, promoted by Sauerland Promotions, is available to watch on the FITE app and website for a suggested retail price of $19.99.

Boxing fans may watch the entire card simply by downloading the FITE app and then cast the fight to the big screen by using the instant stream-to-TV function. The FITE app works with any Wi-Fi connected television around the world, iOS and Android devices, as well as streaming devices such as Roku, Chromecast and more. Fans may also watch the fights live on the FITE website at www.fite.tv from any computer.

Hometown favorite Pulev (24-1, 13 KOs) will make the first defense of the World Boxing Association (WBA) Inter-Continental heavyweight title he captured this past December. WBA No. 9 rated Pulev can position himself for another world title shot against the winner of Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko, who handed Pulev his only pro loss in their 2014 International Boxing Federation (IBF) title fight.

“Kevin Johnson is a good boxer who will give everything but he will not succeed,” Pulev said at today’s press conference. “My goal is to become World Champion. I know a loss will set me back a long way, but I’m confident in my abilities. My opponent is an experienced fighter who will be difficult to breakdown, but I’ve prepared for that. On Friday, I want to pit on another great show for the Bulgarian people and then, I want my shot at the world title.”

Johnson (30-7-1, 14 KOs), fighting out of Lawrenceville, Georgia, has fought reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua – the only fighter to stop Johnson – former unified world heavyweight titlist Tyson Fury, former world title challenger Manuel Charr and current European champion Christian Hammer. In 2009, Johnson lost his lone world title fight by unanimous decision to undefeated WBC champion Vitali Klitschko, extending him the full 12-rounds.

“If Pulev thinks he’s in for an easy night,” Johnson commented, “he’s got another thing coming. I’m not Samuel Peter. I’m not here to lie down and collect a check. I’m here to cause an upset. I’m going to take this boy to school and show the Bulgarians what a Jersey boy can do. I’m going to give him an ass whopping on Friday, the likes of which nobody has seen before. We’ve both been through the same obstacles and we’ve both fought for the world titles before, but only one of us is going to get that second shot, and that’s going to be me.

“The woman here are very beautiful and I’m looking to get married. On Saturday, I’m going to be leaving with a new belt and new wife!”

It’s a great weekend for heavyweight boxing,” promoter Nisse Sauerland added. “Kubrat is the mandatory challenger to face the winner of Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko for the IBF World title. Either they fight him or they vacate the belt. He’s fought hard to get back into this position and he’s risking it all in this fight against a rejuvenated Kevin Johnson. Kevin also knows what’s at stake and what a win would mean for his career. Both men have been training hard and are ready to give it their all in the ring Friday night.”