By Tim Royner: Dillian Whyte (23-1, 17 KOs) will be fighting former heavyweight world title challenger Kubrat Pulev (25-1, 13 KOs) next on July 28 in an IBF heavyweight title eliminator, as Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn is looking to finish that deal before the purse bid a week from now.
Whyte choosing to take the Pulev route to a world title shot against IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is a predictable move on his part. The World Boxing Council had ordered Whyte to face Luis ‘King Kong’ Ortiz (28-1, 24 KOs) for the secondary mandatory spot for a shot at WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder.
Whyte didn’t like the idea of having to fight such a difficult opponent for a secondary position to get a shot at Wilder. Whyte thought that he should have already been given the mandatory position after his recent 6th round knockout win over Lucas ‘Big Daddy’ Browne on March 24.
The WBC wanted Whyte to take one more fight against Ortiz before they would give him the guaranteed shot at Wilder. Hearn got so upset about the WBC ordering the Whyte-Ortiz fight that he said he would appeal to the WBC to have them reverse their decision and make Whyte the mandatory to Wilder outright. However, it now looks like Hearn never had any serious interest in having Whyte get positioned for Wilder’s mandatory. That could have been merely a move by Hearn to pressure Wilder in the negotiations.
Pulev beat Dereck Chisora by a 12 round split decision in May 2016. Pulev did a much better job of beating Chisora compared to the job Whyte did in struggling to beat him by a questionable 12 round split decision in December 2016. Many boxing fans felt that Chisora won that fight and was robbed against the A-side fighter Whyte. Weight wasn’t an issue for Chisora, because he was in shape for the Pulev fight at 249 lbs. He fought a better fighter and there wasn’t much he could do.
Pulev, 37, is a far easier option for Whyte than Luis Ortiz. It’s not an easy fight though, but it’s clearly more winnable fight for Whyte. Ortiz, 38, is a little older than Pulev, but he has better punching power. The Bulgarian Pulev mostly fights on the outside, using his jab and right hand to win his fights. Pulev challenged former heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko in 2014, but he was stopped in the 5th.
Whyte is going to need to figure out a way for him to beat Pulev, because he’s not going to be able to out-jab him. Pulev will pick Whyte apart if he stays on the outside for 12 rounds. For Whyte to win this fight, he’s going to need to apply some pressure on Pulev and try and take him out with body shots. While Pulev isn’t known for being a knockout threat, he has sneaky power that he employs on occasion in his fights.