Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev

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Anthony Joshua vs. Kubrat Pulev
)

Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev
Date12 December 2020[1]
VenueWembley Arena, Brent, London, UK
Title(s) on the lineWBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles
Tale of the tape
Boxer United Kingdom Anthony Joshua Bulgaria Kubrat Pulev
Nickname "AJ" "The Cobra"
Hometown Watford, Hertfordshire, UK Sofia, Sofia City, Bulgaria
Pre-fight record 23–1 (21 KO) 28–1 (14 KOs)
Age 31 years, 1 month 39 years, 7 months
Height 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight 241 lb (109 kg) 240 lb (109 kg)
Style
Orthodox
Orthodox
Recognition WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO
Heavyweight Champion
IBF
No. 1 Ranked Heavyweight
WBO
No. 4 Ranked Heavyweight
WBA
No. 11 Ranked Heavyweight
Result
Joshua defeated Pulev via ninth-round knockout

Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev, was a

WBO, and IBO world champion Anthony Joshua and IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev. The event took place on 12 December 2020 at Wembley Arena in London. Joshua retained his titles via ninth-round knockout.[2]

Background

2017 Cancelled world title fight

On 28 August 2017, it was announced that Joshua and Pulev would fight at the

New Orleans Superdrome in 1978.[5] On 16 October 2017, rumours circulated that Pulev had suffered an injury, which could see the fight being in jeopardy. The same reports suggested the injury was 10 days old, but Pulev's camp had kept it quiet.[6] The injury was later revealed to be true and 36-year-old Carlos Takam (35–3–1, 27 KOs), who was ranked number 3 by the IBF stepped in to replace Pulev on 12 days notice. Eddie Hearn said in a statement that he received a phone call from Pulev's promoter Kalle Sauerland, advising him of a shoulder injury he sustained during sparring. Hearn revealed when the Joshua vs Pulev fight was made, he reached out to Takam's camp, knowing they would be next in line and told them to begin a training camp and stay on standby.[7]

2020

On 2 March 2020, both Matchroom's Eddie Hearn and Top Rank's Bob Arum officially announced Joshua and Pulev would fight at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on 20 June.[8] On 3 April 2020, it was announced that the fight had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and that a new date for the fight "was being worked on".[9] Up to 1,000 people were allowed to attend the fight.[10]

Pulev's only prior defeat had come in a title shot against Wladimir Klitschko in November 2014, being the last man ever to be stopped by him.

The fight

Both fighters began cautiously in the first round, attempting to find each other's range.[11] However, Joshua came out aggressively in the third round and forced Pulev into taking a standing count as he had turned his back on the Briton. When the fight resumed Joshua looked for the knockout and knocked Pulev down with an uppercut late in the round. Pulev beat the count and was able to hold off the champion until the bell.[12] Despite the two knockdowns, Pulev recovered well enough to win the fourth round on some scorecards.[11] The fight continued until the ninth round, where Joshua knocked the Bulgarian down for a third time with a "barrage of uppercuts". Pulev was once again able to continue fighting, however he was immediately hit with a right hand that knocked him out, giving Joshua the victory via ninth-round knockout.[13]

Aftermath

Following the fight, attention immediately turned to a potential unification bout with WBC and The Ring title holder Tyson Fury. Fury quickly posted a video on social media claiming that he would knock out Joshua "inside three rounds". Joshua responded positively, stating "that's good to hear" and "at least I can get him in the ring".[14] Eddie Hearn, Joshua's promoter, also commented on a potential fight between the two, saying that he "can’t see any obstacles" to the fight and that he expected it to be agreed in a matter of days.[15]

Fight card

Weight Class vs. Method Round Time Notes
Heavyweight United Kingdom Anthony Joshua (c) def. Bulgaria Kubrat Pulev KO 9/12 2:58 Note 1
Junior-heavyweight
United Kingdom Lawrence Okolie def. Poland Nikodem Jeżewski TKO 2/12 1:45 Note 2
Heavyweight United Kingdom Hughie Fury def. Poland Mariusz Wach UD 10
Heavyweight Democratic Republic of the Congo Martin Bakole def. Russia Sergey Kuzmin UD 10 Note 3
Light-middleweight
United Kingdom Kieron Conway def. United Kingdom Macaulay McGowan UD 10
Welterweight Albania Florian Marku vs. United Kingdom Jamie Stewart Draw 8
Super-bantamweight
United Kingdom Qais Ashfaq def. United Kingdom Ashley Lane TKO 4/8 0:20

junior-heavyweight title
^Note 3 For vacant WBC
International heavyweight title

Broadcasters

The fight was televised live in the United Kingdom and Ireland on

Sky Sports Box Office. Subscription streaming service DAZN
also broadcast the fight worldwide (including in Bulgaria) as the part of DAZN's grand launch.

References

  1. ^ "Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev London date set for heavyweight world title defence". Independent. 13 December 2020. Archived from the original on 13 November 2020.
  2. ^ "Anthony Joshua shows his mettle with dramatic knockout of Kubrat Pulev". Guardian. 12 December 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  3. ^ Anderson, David (28 August 2017). "Anthony Joshua's next opponent revealed". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  4. ^ "Joshua to make next defense Oct. 28 vs. Pulev". ESPN.com. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  5. ^ Kini, Abhinav (13 September 2017). "Record-breaking 70,000 tickets sold in Cardiff as Joshua vs Pulev becomes fastest-selling event". International Business Times UK. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  6. ^ "Pulev Reportedly Injured, Anthony Joshua Fight in Jeopardy - Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. 16 October 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  7. ^ "Anthony Joshua vs. Carlos Takam Finalized For October 28 - Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. 16 October 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  8. ^ "Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev Confirmed Tottenham Stadium". Talksport. 2 March 2020. Archived from the original on 2 March 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  9. ^ "Anthony Joshua's world title defence against Kubrat Pulev in June has been postponed". Sky Sports. 3 April 2020. Archived from the original on 6 April 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  10. ^ "Официално: Ще има фенове на Пулев - Джошуа, ето цените на билетите". www.sportlive.bg (in Bulgarian). 2 December 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  11. ^
    ISSN 0307-1235
    . Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  12. ^ "Hearn thought AJ fight would be stopped earlier as ref decisions questioned". talkSPORT. 13 December 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  13. ^ "Joshua outclasses Pulev in knockout win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  14. ^ "Fury's on track to fight me - Joshua". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  15. ISSN 0261-3077
    . Retrieved 14 December 2020.
Preceded by
vs. Andy Ruiz Jr.
Anthony Joshua's bouts
12 December 2020
Succeeded by
vs. Oleksandr Usyk
Preceded by Kubrat Pulev's bouts
12 December 2020
Succeeded by
vs. Jerry Forrest