Tonight, Kubrat Pulev will see the clash between Anthony Joshua and Vladimir Klitschko in London with a sense of well-done job. He was able to make a successful defense of the WBA’s intercontinental title and this gave him the seat of a mandatory contender for the world boxing peak. From now on, the only sure thing is that Pulev will have to box for the title of champion on the planet, and when it is possible to happen, where and against whom, is a matter where only time will give the right answers.
“I pray to the Lord to win the world title, but only with prayers it doesn’t work, I have to work really-really hard, I know that I have to put much more effort and effort into my goals, but I am motivated and ambitious. I know I can do much more,” said Kubrat. The night for the American ended in emergency room surgery, but a knockout was not recorded.
On this occasion, Bulgarian heavyweight pride commented:
“The most important was to claim the victory, the bout itself was not really beautiful, I wanted to knock him out, I played and tried till the last gong, but it was impossible to find the right shot, I could not find a way to his chin to take him down. This fight was a new experience and a step forward, and I was warned that the rival was tough and this was confirmed at the ring, and I did not feel Johnson dangerous at the end of the match, as I did at the beginning, but I did not have the right to take unnecessary risks.”
Statistics show that Kevin Johnson has been fighting against almost all the biggest in the heavyweight division and although he has not won, his career-knockouts are counting on fingers. Like with Kubrat, he endured 12 rounds against names like Tyson Fury, Derek Chisora and Vitaly Klitschko. With a knockout in the second round, he was rejected by the current world champion Anthony Joshua.
True to himself, Kubrat Pulev found a reason for self-criticism:
“Johnson struck me twice heavily, which I should not have allowed, but I’ve been abusing him all the time, and from the middle of the fight he was just looking for a way to hide and how to get away. Now I have a short break, soon we’ll make a serious analysis with my coach Uli Wegner, with whom we will make the necessary conclusions and as you know I like to say: we are going forward.”