Kubrat Pulev could fight Joshua in 2016 or next year

By Boxing News - 07/22/2016 - Comments

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By Patrick McHugh: #2 IBF Kubrat Pulev (23-1, 12 KOs) won’t have long to wait for a world title shot against IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (17-0, 17 KOs). If the fight doesn’t take place this year, then he should be able to get a crack at Joshua’s title, according to his promoter Kalle Sauerland.The 35-year-old Pulev is right behind #1 Joseph Parker as the next mandatory challenger for the 6’6” Joshua, so he’ll be soon getting a title shot.

Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn still hasn’t picked out his next opponent for November. Pulev might have a chance to get that fight if Hearn doesn’t go with a lighter test. Matchroom Sport promoter Barry Hearn likes the idea of Joshua defending his title against former WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne in his next fight.

Stiverne has a good chin and might be able to give him some rounds. Stiverne is also well known in the United States by the hardcore boxing fans, but not by the casual fans.

“I think it’s a fight that will happen, whether we agree now to a voluntary or not,” Sauerland said to skysports.com. “Pulev is in the No 2 position after Parker, his mandatory. The next mandatory will likely be Pulev in 2017, so whether the fight happens now or next year, the fight will happen.”

The 6’4 ½”Pulev would figure to be a more difficult opponent than the last two guys that he’s faced in Dominic Breazeale and Charles Martin. Those American fighters talked a great deal before the fights, but they did nothing when they got inside there with him. Neither of them let their hands go to try and make a fight of it. If nothing else, Pulev has a great jab and can be counted on to use it.

Pulev fought for a world title in November 2014 against former IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko, and he was stopped in the 5th round. Pulev did stagger Wladimir early on, but things quickly unraveled from there with Pulev getting knocked down repeatedly before being stopped in the 5th.

“Pulev is a big step up and it’s a good fight, it’s a real 50-50 if you ask me,” said Sauerland. “It’s a real fight, a live fight. Let’s see if they want to do it now, or whether they want to wait until next year.”

Joshua has a mandatory defense due against Joseph Parker. However, Hearn will have him defending his title against a voluntary next. That could be Pulev’s chance for a title if Sauerland can convince Hearn to have the fight take place this year. It’s unlikely that Hearn will want to put the still green Joshua in with an experienced fighter like Pulev right now because he’s a potentially a lot more difficult opponent that he’s been fighting.

Pulev recently defeated former world title challenger Dereck Chisora by a 12 round split decision last May in a fight for the vacant EBU heavyweight title in Hamburg, Germany. The fight was fairly one-sided. It’s unclear what the judge was looking at that scored it for Chisora. It wasn’t a close fight.

Pulev has a new trainer in Uli Wegner, and he’s more polished fighter than he was before he started training with him.