By Ivan Ivanov: All weight classes are equal in their importance for boxing and the heavyweight division is the most equal of all. Right now the hierarchy is clear and the Klitshkos are cemented at the top, but Vitali is semi-retired and Wlad is 37, so we are looking for the next big thing. The harder we look, the less optimistic we get.
Ivan Ivanov
The Heavyweight State of Affairs
By Ivan Ivanov: The heavyweight division today is almost riding into the sunset as far as casual fan interest and mainstream media coverage is concerned. The Klitshkos were dropped from the pay-per-view circuits and even if the move was justified, no one has filled the void. I am not complaining, we get to see heavyweight championship fights for free in real time.
Kubrat Pulev vs. Tony Thompson: Amateur vs Pro?
By Ivan Ivanov: Kubrat Pulev vs Tony Thompson – Amateur vs Pro?
Some boxing experts and writers frivolously use the term “amateur’ in a negative sense and seem to forget it has a different meaning in boxing and has little bearing to skill level or attitude to the sport.
“The Cobra” and “The Tiger” seem like good examples how amateur and professional boxing converge, if there is any principal difference at all.
Kubrat Pulev vs. Tony Thompson – preview and prediction
(Photo credit: Wende) By Ivan Ivanov: This fight is scheduled for Aug. 24 and since it’s a final eliminator for the IBF title, the winner gets a shot at Wladimir Klitschko unless Alexander Povetkin can cause an improbable upset. The fight would have been interesting anyway because we don’t get to see a meaningful heavyweight fight very often.
Let’s look at the facts first: Tony Thompson is 6′ 5″ /196cm, his reach is 81½″/207cm he weighed 259 lbs in his last fight, age 41. Kubrat Pulev is 6′ 4½″/194cm, reach 80″/202cm, weight around 250 lbs, age 32. Pulev is orthodox, Thompson is a southpaw and this will be a factor in the fight.
Thompson has more experience as a pro and he has faced harder opponents, he has been tested and evaluated as a solid contender, a first echelon gatekeeper to the throne. He lost twice to W. Klitschko but he exposed twice David Price who was a decent amateur at least on paper.