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.
Pulev doesn’t have Wladimir’s hand speed or the same punching power, but he’s got respectable power. Wladimir can’t underestimate Pulev for an instant because he’s got a clubbing right hand that he likes to throw, and he throws to the body with excellent power.
Pulev has looked especially good in beating the likes of Alexander Ustinov and Tony Thompson. Granted, Pulev didn’t face an in shape Ustinov when he beat him by an 11th round TKO in 2012, but he showed the kinds of skills in that fight that would give Ustinov problems no matter what kind of condition he came in.
The fact of the matter is Pulev has dominated everyone he’s faced during his 5-year pro career, and it’s going to be difficult for Wladimir to try and find a way to nullify the things that Pulev does in the ring.
Pulev isn’t a limited heavyweight like the guys that Wladimir has been beating the last few years. Pulev can actually fight for a big heavyweight, and he could potentially give Wladimir a lot of problems if he can figure out how to keep from getting hit by his big right hand.
Wladimir, 38, has swept through his last 20 fights since losing to Lamon Brewster 10 years ago by a 5th round TKO in April 2004. Wladimir’s late trainer Emanuel Steward changed his fighting style after that loss and made him more cautious and much more defensively focused. Since his loss to Brewster, Wladimir has developed into well-rounded heavyweight who gives his opponents very few chances to land their shots.
Wladimir stays on the outside for the most part using his jab to keep his opponents bottled up on the outside. When Wladimir does use his right hand, he sets it up well by blinding his opponents with a jab first. His right hands generally follow his jabs and it’s often devastating for his opponents with them not being ready for the second blow.
