By Ian S Palmer
The 02 World Arena in Hamburg, Germany will be the site for the heavyweight showdown between champion Wladimir Klitschko of Ukraine and undefeated Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev this Saturday, November 15. Klitschko’s WBA, WBO, IBF, and IBO titles will be on the line and this 12-round bout can be seen both live and on a tape-delay basis on HBO in Canada and the U.S. Pulev should give the 6-foot-6-inch Klitschko a decent fight since he’s a former Olympian who stands just over an inch shorter than the champion.
The 38-year-old Klitschko will enter the ring with his impressive record of 62-3 with 52 Kos, while the 33-year-old Pulev climbs through the ropes with a perfect mark of 20-0 with 11 Kos to his name. Klitschko has a lot more experience as a pro with countless title fights under his belt and a total of 329 rounds. Pulev has gone 133 pro rounds so far in his career. Klitschko also has the edge in power, but Pulev does have some pop in his fists.
This is another All-European showdown and that’s basically because the heavyweight division is very weak at the moment and has been for a few years. Klitschko isn’t unbeatable though as he had been dropped a few times in his career and has lost twice. Back in 1998 he was stopped by Ross Puritty and Corrie Sanders did the same thing to him in 2003 and Lamon Brewster also stopped him a year later. This is why Klitschko’s chin has always come into question before his fights. However, he hasn’t been beaten in a decade
Pulev isn’t a knockout artist by any means, but any heavyweight can end a fight with one punch if it’s perfectly timed and lands on the button, and that’s what gives him a chance here. Pulev more or less matches the champion in size and has a lot of amateur experience to call upon. Most North American fans may not know much about the challenger. He stopped Alexander Dimitrenko in 11 rounds in May of 2012 and then stopped Alexander Ustinov in the same round four months later. He also beat the ageing Tony Thompson by a unanimous decision last year. He also has wins over the likes of Joey Abell, Michael Sprott, Dominick Guinn, Derric Rossy, Matt Skelton and Zack Page.
Klitschko is a fantastic technical boxer, especially for his size, but he does seem to be a bit robotic at times. He possesses a piston-like left jab and his bread and butter punch is the overhand right. His Ko percentage is about 80 per cent so that’s all you really need to know about his devastating power. Pulev has good boxing skills and understands the importance of distance and timing. He’s almost as big as Klitschko, so he won’t be pushed around by the champion.
Prediction
The size matchup here is good for the fans as is Pulev’s unbeaten record and his five-year age advantage. But for the Bulgarian to succeed he needs to initiate the action and get off first. He can’t afford to give away rounds because he doesn’t want to go into the last third of the fight needing multiple knockdowns or a stoppage. Klitschko may be a little cautious since Pulev is the same size as him. But if he’s too worried about getting hit then he’s not going to create enough offense. He needs to fight his usual style by using the jab and following it up with powerful right hands. If he does this, he should still be champion at the end of the fight by decision or late stoppage.
