Kubrat Pulev (24-1, 13 KOs) and Kevin Johnson (30-7-1, 14 KOs) both weighed in today ahead of their WBA Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship clash at the Arena Armeec in Sofia, Bulgaria, as did all the undercard fighters for tomorrow’s event.
Here is a list of the official weights from Sofia:
WBA Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship – 12 Rounds:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tot5Vj1SLzs
Last night in Sofia, Bulgaria, heavyweight contender Kubrat Pulev enjoyed an easy homecoming as he bashed around an out of shape Sam Peter in front of his adoring fans. Pulev, basically having nothing to beat, landed punches on the overweight, slow-footed 36-year-old at will. Peter threw a few punches, off balance as he was, but nothing ever came close to troubling 35-year-old Pulev.
Kubrat Pulev (23-1, 12 KOs) and Samuel Peter (36-5, 29 KOs) both weighed in today ahead of their WBA Intercontinental Heavyweight title clash tomorrow night at the Arena Armeec in Sofia, Bulgaria. In front of 15,000 fans, Pulev, the current European Champion, will make his long awaited homecoming fight against Peter, the former WBC World Champion, as both men target a World title opportunity in 2017.
Kubrat Pulev, the reigning European heavyweight champion who was recently in the running to be the next challenger for IBF boss Anthony Joshua, has another fight set instead. According to Pulev’s Twitter page, he will face none other than former WBC heavyweight champ Sam Peter in Sofia, Bulgaria on December 3rd.
Tickets are on sale now apparently.
What to make of this match-up? A few years ago, when Peter was still fighting regularly and was in good shape, weight-wise, this one would have been a big attraction. Maybe it still will pull in the fans in Pulev’s homeland, but what can we expect from Peter, now aged 36 and having had just two fights since 2011 (both low-key wins)?
If Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn pulls this off he will be a guaranteed Promoter of The Year award winner in Britain this year. The big plans that are currently underway are for THREE big heavyweight fights to take place on the same night in Cardiff, Wales in either November or December of this year.
According to a news piece in The Mail, Hearn is working, along with others, on staging Anthony Joshua’s second title defence, Joseph Parker against David Price and Dereck Chisora against Dillian Whyte, all at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium. The word now is Bulgaria’s Kubrat Pulev, the current European heavyweight champion, is the frontrunner to land the shot at IBF boss Joshua. This fight, a solid match-up that could well provide A.J with his stiffest pro test thus far in his career, would be supported in fine style if the other two in-the-works match-ups get made.
Kubrat Pulev, last seen winning the vacant European heavyweight title with a 12-round split decision over Dereck Chisora (the fight was not seen as that close in the opinion of nearly everyone apart from one official) will face Poland’s Mariusz Wach in his first defence, Novinite.com reports. The fight does not have a confirmed date yet, but is expected tp go ahead in either September or October, with the likely venue being Sofia, in Pulev’s hometown of Bulgaria.
Dereck Chisora will likely earn himself a world title shot if he can defeat Kubrat Pulev in tomorrow’s European heavyweight title clash – possibly against IBF champ Anthony Joshua (Eddie Hearn says a victorious Chisora would be an option for Joshua). But can “Del Boy” become only the second man to defeat the tough, durable and experienced Pulev? One man who has his doubts is heavyweight ruler Tyson Fury.
Fury told Sky Sports he will be supporting Chisora, and that he may even go out to Hamburg to walk Chisora into the ring. Former bitter rivals – fighting twice, Fury wining both, the second fight by corner retirement stoppage – Fury now says he has “a little soft spot” for Chisora.
(Video Credit: Team Sauerland) – Weigh-In Results from Hamburg, Germany
Kubrat Pulev: 113,0 kg / 249,1 lbs
Dereck Chisora 109,7 kg / 241,8 lbs
Vincent Feigenbutz: 75,0 kg / 165,3 lbs
Crispulo Javier Andino: 75,7 kg / 166,9 lbs
The fight will take place on May 7 at the Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, Germany. Both boxers have been European champions before and both are managed by Sauerland. They have one more thing in common – each has lost a title fight to a Klitschko brother. Chisora went 12 rounds with Vitali Klitschko while Pulev was stopped by Wladimir in the 5th.
The European title meant a lot in the past when there was only one world champion. The European champion automatically earned the right to challenge the world champion. With the division and multiplication of the world championship, the European championship lost its ground and digressed into a minor trophy with insignificant commercial value. There is still only one European title but unlike the amateurs, the pros care little about it.
Pulev vs Chisora Live on AWE – This Saturday afternoon an intriguing and important heavyweight contest between former world title challenger’s Kubrat Pulev and Dereck Chisora has been added to the much anticipated telecast that will feature WBA Lightweight champion Anthony Crolla defending his title against hard punching Ismael Barroso that will be shown LIVE ON AWE–A Wealth of Entertainment.