(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.”
