Anthony Joshua sparring with Wladimir Klitschko to get him ready for Kubrat Pulev fight

08/21/201408/19/2014 Vladimir S

joshua55 2012 super heavyweight gold medalist Anthony Joshua is in Austria sparring with IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (62-3, 52 KOs) to get him ready for his fight next month against unbeaten #1 IBF Kubrat Pulev (20-0, 11 KOs) at the O2 World Arena in Hamburg, Germany.

Joshua will be at the Klitschko camp for 10 days of sparring, which should help both fighters improve. This is great for Joshua because he gets to improve his game while at the same time seeing how far apart he is with Wladimir in terms of talent.

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Wladimir Klitschko faces tough test in Kubrat Pulev on September 6th

08/18/2014 Vladimir S

In what is easily the toughest test since his fight against former WBA champ David Haye in 2011, IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (62-3, 52 KOs) will be putting his belts on the line against #1 IBF Kubrat Pulev (20-0, 11 KOs) next month on September 6th at the O2 World Arena, Altona, in Hamburg, Germany.

Pulev, 6’4 ½”, matches up well with the 6’6” Wladimir in terms of size and his ability to jab with power. Wladimir has a slight height advantage of a little less than two inches, but they’re both basically the same in the jab department.

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Wladimir Klitschko and Kubrat Pulev sell out the O2 Arena in Hamburg, Germany

07/31/2014 Ivan Ivanov

There are no more regular seats available for the IBF heavyweight title fight on Sep. 6 at the O2 World Hamburg. Kubrat Pulev said he tried to buy tickets for friends recently and he couldn’t, he contacted K2 promotions and found out he might find separate seats if he used a German IP address and checked regularly for availability. Those seats would be either lowest price that do not offer a good view or highest price (unreasonably expensive). Pulev himself was promised “one or two” free tickets, so he is not getting a lot of compliments from Klitschko and company.

The unbeaten Bulgarian knows he is a mandatory challenger per se, that is Wladimir Klitschko clearly does not want the fight and is only complying with an obligation. This is not a big money event for K2 while for Pulev this would be a career defining fight and his biggest payday. K2 promotions are handling the event and Kubrat Pulev is just a participant, and opponent that brings some intrigue and his 0 into the contest but not too much revenue.

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Pulev wants drug testing down for Wladimir fight

09/15/201606/24/2014 Bill Phanco

Unbeaten challenger Kubrat Pulev (20-0, 11 KO’s) reportedly wants testing done in the run up to his September 6th title challenge against IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (62-3, 52 KO’s) at the O2 World Arena, in Hamburg, Germany. Pulev, 33, doesn’t say why he wants the testing done, because there already is testing done for the fight. Having extra testing done might seem like overkill and a waste of money.

Pulev said, “I’m checked for doping at least six times a year during training. Should always be available and communicate where I was staying and where I am at any time. Why not apply to Wladimir Klitschko? Thus it would be fair.”

Pulev, as the challenger, is hardly in the position to get his way in terms of extra drug testing. He can ask for it, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen.

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Pulev: I will get Wladimir’s titles and replace him as World champion

06/19/2014 Vladimir S

Bulgarian heavyweight Kubrat Pulev (20-0, 11 KO’s) believes that he’s got the talent to beat IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (62-3, 52 KO’s) and take away all of his 4 world titles in their fight on September 6th at the O2 World Arena, Altona, in Hamburg, Germany.

While the 33-year-old Pulev hasn’t fought anyone good enough to give you any kind of indication that he’ll be able to beat Wladimir, he still comes across like someone who is dead certain that he’s going to be victorious over the 38-year-old Ukrainian.

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Wladimir Klitschko defends IBF-title against Kubrat Pulev in Hamburg

06/22/201406/19/2014 K2 Promotions

Hamburg, June 19th, 2014. IBF- and IBO-heavyweight champion as well as WBO- and WBA-superchampion Wladimir Klitschko will defend his titles on September 6th against the Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev. The fight against the official IBF mandatory will be taking place at the o2 World Hamburg, Germany.

Kubrat „The Cobra“ Pulev from Sofia is 33 years old and 1,94m tall. The current No 1 of the IBF ranking has an outstanding record: 20 wins, 11 by KOs and no losses. From 2011 on, Pulev was IBF International Champion and became European Heavyweight Champion in 2012/2013.

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Wladimir Klitschko: Kubrat Pulev is “too raw and green behind the ears”

05/14/201405/14/2014 Ivan Ivanov

Wladimir Klitschko has his sights set on Bermane Stiverne who emerged as the new WBC champion after he sent Cristobal Arreola home early last Saturday. Klitschko is craving to unify the championship and reclaim the trophy his big brother Vitali relinquished and there may not be anyone to stop him.

There are formalities he needs to deal with before the unification and one of them is Deontay Wilder’s WBC mandatory challenger position. Even Bermane Stiverne would be a huge step up in class for Wilder and the winner would eventually have to fight Wladimir Klitschko. Mandatory status or not, Deontay Wilder might do what is in his best interest – avoid Wlad and hope he hangs them up soon. His initial step aside demand was reportedly unreasonable but he has not ruled this option out. One would expect a confident KO machine to go for the title full throttle and treat any distractions with contempt but the heavyweight circus is on the road again.

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Sauerland: Kubrat Pulev will not face Elijah McCall; Replacement Announced

04/01/201403/31/2014 Vladimir S

IBF heavyweight mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev (19-0, 10 KO’s) will be fighting in an 8-round tune-up fight against little known fighter Elijah McCall (12-3-1, 11 KO’s) on the undercard of the WBA light heavyweight title clash between champion Juergen Braehmer and Enzo Maccarinelli. Pulev, at the Stadthalle, Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany according to Sauerland Events.

Pulev, 32, is already locked in for a world title shot against IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko for later this year, so he just needs to stay active, get a little rust out, and avoid injuries in winning this fight against McCall.

McCall, 26, is the son of former heavyweight champ Oliver McCall. He played college football at James Madison University as a defensive end. He turned pro in 2009 without any amateur experience at all. In looking at some of his past fights, McCall seems to be a very good body puncher, but not much hand speed or power in throwing to the head. McCall looks like he’s a better puncher than Pulev, who is more of a slapper and jabber.

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Kubrat Pulev stops late sub Joey Abell to defend his IBF intercontinental title

12/15/201312/15/2013 Ivan Ivanov

Joey Abell filled in for injured Sherman Williams on a week’s notice and faced undefeated Pulev in Neubrandenburg, Germany on Dec. 14. The IBF intercontinental title and Pulev’s hard-gained number 1 IBF ranking were at stake.
Abell weighed in at 248.5, Pulev at 252.8 and both appeared to be fit full-sized heavyweights. Abell’s southpaw stance was expected to give Pulev some trouble. Pulev is a notorious slow starter and this fight was no exception, his initial passive game allowed the over-matched Abell to score some decent power points in the first round.

The difference in class was obvious and Kubrat Pulev had an overwhelming technical and tactical advantage over his opponent. What he lacked was the speed and power to dispose of this “stay busy” sparring partner in a convincing fashion. Abell ran out of ideas in the first round, he ran out of steam in the second and came out fighting in survival mode in the third.

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Huge break for Joey Abell – will face undefeated Kubrat Pulev

12/10/201312/10/2013 Paul Strauss

Joey “Minnesota Ice” Abell 29(KO 28)-6(KO 4)-0 couldn’t turn it down, even if it is short notice. Joey’s break came when veteran Sherman Williams suffered an injury in training camp. Williams had to back out of his December 14th bout with Kubrat “The Cobra” Pulev 18 (KO 9)-0-0. The winner has a shot to fight Wladimir Klitschko. Somebody wake Joey, this is a terrific chance.

It’s safe to say Minnesotans believe in Joey. Who knows, in this crazy sport, Joey (a southpaw) might carry off his best imitation of the late hard punching Corey Sanders. Back in 3-08-2003 the man from South Africa, who also was a big underdog, uncorked a big left on his way to stopping the then undefeated Wladimir. There’s no doubt Joey can punch, but will he move his head enough to keep from catching one himself?

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