Simple question - Pulev

Pulev is glad to accept delays and step aside money now that he has the spot again, as long as he doesn't have to take a similar beating to what he took against Wlad.

 

Well, Joshua's last mandatory defense was late July this year, so I doubt the IBF will try to force Pulev on him anytime soon.

 

Wlad ruined him. He took a brutal beating in that fight. Wlad landed like 15 A plus hooks on him. He’s been a changed man ever since. He had real skil and amateur pedigree. Plus a cocky arrogant confidence. Now he’s mr step aside and fight fighters that were good in 2006. Total jab and grab. Can’t engage. Clear case of someone being way different in the ring after one fight

 

Well the last fighter he faced was at the age of 12 in the year of 2006.The fights with Johnson and The Nigerian Nightmare were one of the first events of that kind in Bulgaria. So I guess they didn't wanted to fail with the organisation. Right now Pulev signed a contract with Top Rank and he will be in the main event of an undercard in March in the US. He said that he will fight 3 times this year, so I guess a Joshua fight won't happen in 2019.

 

>Ortiz.

 

Ok Hughie Fury was young. I was generalizing. Arias, Johnson, Chisora, Peter, are all past it and poor choices. Good for Bulgaria I know he is a star there and comes from a boxing family. He hasn’t looked the same to me at all. Hopefully he gets the Joshua fight

 

Yeah he doesn't look the same as a character, but he looks in a way better shape recently, which really surprises me.

 

Him signing with Top Rank in the US was such a unexpected move after he secured his mandatory position. Hearn usually likes to showcase prospective Joshua opponents on Matchroom cards to help build a future fight with Joshua. He did it with Povetkin, Takam, tried to do it with Ortiz before Ortiz jumped over to Haymon and you'd think if Pulev was going to fight Joshua anytime soon he'd be fighting on Matchroom cards.

So the lack of talk from Hearn concerning Pulev and Pulev himself moving stateside suggests we won't see Pulev in the ring with Joshua anytime soon and the IBF seem quite happy to let their mandatory remain unfulfilled as technically it should of happened in July and is overdue already.

 

You are probably right, but it wasn't actually that surprising that Pulev signed with Top Rank, because after the fight with Klitschko he went to the US with the same idea but something went wrong and a contract was never signed. So basically this was going to happen like 3 years ago. Pulev basically wasted some time but at least made some big events in Bulgaria, regardless the opposition he has faced there.

 

Agree completely.

He came in against Wlad super cocky and 100% convinced that he was going to blast that fraud away. He fought like he believed it and brought a lot of energy to the fight. After he got annihilated by Wlad's absolute scud missile of a leaping left, and lost I think his confidence blew up into a million pieces.

He didn't fight for a while and I suspect he's back cause he doesn't know any other way. Feel a bit sorry for him he had genuine talent but now is fearful of another beating. He needs a psychologist more than a trainer, to get that swagger back. That will do more for him than any amount of jab n grabbing.

 

WBO mandatory is next for Joshua, but isnt due til October 2019. IBF mandatory follows, but not likely to happen til 2020, if at all. Hearn said if Joshua is undisputed by that time he'll be dropping belts, in favour of the biggest money fights, if the organisations start enforcing unattractive mandatories on Joshua.

 

I don't know if there would be more leeway as Pulev had to cancel previously?

All the same pulev is one of the very top HWs with a good resume.
I rate him highly.
After Fury and Joshua I think you could argue the third place at HW between Pulev, Povetkin, Whyte and possibly Wilder

 

I'm not a fan. Pulev fights like John Ruiz. He launches a jab or a right and immediately forces a clinch. One punch and clinch. One punch and clinch. Right hand and clinch. Left jab and clinch.

It's mind-numbing.

I didn't think he wanted to fight Joshua the first time. I thought his team felt Joshua was going to drop one of the belts. When they didn't, he found a way out of the fight. I feel like he's doing that again. He's got a high ranking. He doesn't really want anything to do with Joshua.

Pulev and his team are just waiting for Joshua to look for a big fight, Pulev's team will give the impression it's okay with them, and then after Joshua signs, Pulev's management will demand the IBF enforce it's mandatory. And then Joshua will be forced to either back out of a deal he signed or vacate a belt. And Pulev's team will try to get a vacant title fight. It's been done many times before. (Ruiz even did it against Lewis.)

Also, Pulev does look in much better shape than he used to. He's much more defined. Older guys don't get more cut as they close in on 40. I'm sure he's found a "nutritionist" to help him.

Too bad his newfound shape hasn't made him a better or more exciting fighter.

His style is brutal to watch. The Fury-Pulev fight was damn near unwatchable.

If he retired tomorrow, I don't think anyone would miss him. He's only being mentioned because he has a rating - like Fres Oquendo.

 

Worst post of the day. That's a total insult to Wilder, Whyte and Povetkin.

I think if you looked at the division objectively, without any sanctioning bodies, Pulev wouldn't make most people's top 10s.

There is nothing about him that impresses in the ring. NOTHING.