BoxRec

Did someone say DAZN picked this up?

It does seem like they will.

One last big(ish) fight for Pulev when he wins this. Who is going to try and face him for the WBA Regular belt?

joshj909 wrote: ↑19 Nov 2024, 05:21 Who is going to try and face him for the WBA Regular belt?

2nd rate heavyweights..

He may aswell give Fat Fres his chance.. Maybe Guillermo Jones

Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑19 Nov 2024, 06:06

joshj909 wrote: ↑19 Nov 2024, 05:21 Who is going to try and face him for the WBA Regular belt?

2nd rate heavyweights..

He may aswell give Fat Fres his chance.. Maybe Guillermo Jones

That's the likely option but i'm hopeful of someone at least a bit better than Charr or Bryan. WBA ranked options are:

Bakole, Hunter, Pero, Kabayel, Wardley, Pérez, Gassiev, Itauma, Chaney, Ortiz, Miller, Dychko, Savage.

A few interesting matchups and a few terrible ones there.

Pure circus

Is this for wba regular?

If so it’s time for frank to throw some cash at the winner so he can say Moses is the “youngest ever world champ”

That being said, a lot of people should be looking to throw cash at this. WBA reg has lost some shine due to boxrec not having it there, it’s been crap forever really but can trick casuals now and then (devotee did once or twice)…

Moses makes most sense. But if I’m Hearn I’m throwing fisher at it too haha. Whoever’s willing to over pay the most for the corpse of pulev….

(Wait Mabey frez will get his shot….)

The winner will fight Jake Paul. I can see the WBA sanctioning this fight.
I hope I'm wrong

tiny_acres wrote: ↑21 Nov 2024, 11:06 The winner will fight Jake Paul. I can see the WBA sanctioning this fight.
I hope I'm wrong

Pulev destroys Jake Paul. Charr likely does too

Winner should fight Chisora giving him one last shot at a piece of a Title. Chisora said he wants 2 more fights before retirement.

joshj909 wrote: ↑21 Nov 2024, 11:31

tiny_acres wrote: ↑21 Nov 2024, 11:06 The winner will fight Jake Paul. I can see the WBA sanctioning this fight.
I hope I'm wrong

Pulev destroys Jake Paul. Charr likely does too

As Tommy Fury showed us. Any fighter who is not a geriatric beats Jake

Okay, I am now confused.... I thought the Charr being WBA champion ended some time ago.

I thought Dubios was WBA ordinary champion when he beat that Don King fighter - and I thought he (the DK fighter) got elevated from Interim to "full ordinary" when Charr and him kept not fighting - I thought the WBA said they were making an effort to get rid of multiple claimants to world titles and thats why they enforced Dubios vs Usyk.

Its an acceptable fight, only just I would say Charr's inactivity means it would be hard to rank him at all. Pulev is okay to be fighting the upper level gate keepers (e.g. someone like Michael Hunter) and a win against those fighters might mean he is back in the mix and I do not mind if some baubble is involved to try and entice someone - but I cannot understand how Charr is in the mix - I thought that had been resolved.

stujones wrote: ↑22 Nov 2024, 08:06 Okay, I am now confused.... I thought the Charr being WBA champion ended some time ago.

I thought Dubios was WBA ordinary champion when he beat that Don King fighter - and I thought he (the DK fighter) got elevated from Interim to "full ordinary" when Charr and him kept not fighting - I thought the WBA said they were making an effort to get rid of multiple claimants to world titles and thats why they enforced Dubios vs Usyk.

Its an acceptable fight, only just I would say Charr's inactivity means it would be hard to rank him at all. Pulev is okay to be fighting the upper level gate keepers (e.g. someone like Michael Hunter) and a win against those fighters might mean he is back in the mix and I do not mind if some baubble is involved to try and entice someone - but I cannot understand how Charr is in the mix - I thought that had been resolved.

Dubois was neve a legitimate WBA title holder.

Bryan was interim and got promoted to regular..

Trying to think of a worse Heavyweight title fight..... I suppose when Charles Martin won the vacant IBF?

tiny_acres wrote: ↑21 Nov 2024, 21:47

joshj909 wrote: ↑21 Nov 2024, 11:31

tiny_acres wrote: ↑21 Nov 2024, 11:06 The winner will fight Jake Paul. I can see the WBA sanctioning this fight.
I hope I'm wrong

Pulev destroys Jake Paul. Charr likely does too

As Tommy Fury showed us. Any fighter who is not a geriatric beats Jake

Yeah, as limited and over the hill as Pulev is, he surely batters Jake Paul

Flump wrote: ↑22 Nov 2024, 09:34 Trying to think of a worse Heavyweight title fight..... I suppose when Charles Martin won the vacant IBF?

Trevor Bryant vs Jonathon Guidry is the worst.
But I must admit it was an entertaining fight

I read somewhere that Pulev lives a healthy life and stays in shape. Even at his advancing years, he should have far too much for Charr. Mahmoud is still listed on the WBA website as their champion.

Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑22 Nov 2024, 09:09

stujones wrote: ↑22 Nov 2024, 08:06 Okay, I am now confused.... I thought the Charr being WBA champion ended some time ago.

I thought Dubios was WBA ordinary champion when he beat that Don King fighter - and I thought he (the DK fighter) got elevated from Interim to "full ordinary" when Charr and him kept not fighting - I thought the WBA said they were making an effort to get rid of multiple claimants to world titles and thats why they enforced Dubios vs Usyk.

Its an acceptable fight, only just I would say Charr's inactivity means it would be hard to rank him at all. Pulev is okay to be fighting the upper level gate keepers (e.g. someone like Michael Hunter) and a win against those fighters might mean he is back in the mix and I do not mind if some baubble is involved to try and entice someone - but I cannot understand how Charr is in the mix - I thought that had been resolved.

Dubois was neve a legitimate WBA title holder.

Bryan was interim and got promoted to regular..

No he wasn't legitimate, neither is/was Charr, the linearage including guys like Lucas Browne - but Bryan was regular champion, Dubios beat him, Usyk beat him - so how is Charr still holding a belt?

stujones wrote: ↑26 Nov 2024, 09:35

Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑22 Nov 2024, 09:09

stujones wrote: ↑22 Nov 2024, 08:06 Okay, I am now confused.... I thought the Charr being WBA champion ended some time ago.

I thought Dubios was WBA ordinary champion when he beat that Don King fighter - and I thought he (the DK fighter) got elevated from Interim to "full ordinary" when Charr and him kept not fighting - I thought the WBA said they were making an effort to get rid of multiple claimants to world titles and thats why they enforced Dubios vs Usyk.

Its an acceptable fight, only just I would say Charr's inactivity means it would be hard to rank him at all. Pulev is okay to be fighting the upper level gate keepers (e.g. someone like Michael Hunter) and a win against those fighters might mean he is back in the mix and I do not mind if some baubble is involved to try and entice someone - but I cannot understand how Charr is in the mix - I thought that had been resolved.

Dubois was neve a legitimate WBA title holder.

Bryan was interim and got promoted to regular..

No he wasn't legitimate, neither is/was Charr, the linearage including guys like Lucas Browne - but Bryan was regular champion, Dubios beat him, Usyk beat him - so how is Charr still holding a belt?

Charr got stripped for not fighting Bryan. claimed he was screwed by King ofcourse.

King did whatever he did so he could get the belt to Bryan without Bryan having to beat Charr.

Bryan was already interim champion.

So when Charr got stripped. Bryan became regular.

Charr I think sued or threatened legal action again WBA or King.

Cus Charr never actually lost.

He’s been “given” the belt back.

I know mate.. it’s a bit too much.

Fight is good to go.

Will be on DAZN.

WBA announces bout between Mahmoud Charr and Kubrat Pulev

With the WBA regular heavyweight title on the line, Mahmoud Charr makes a defense against Kubrat Pulev.

They will fight on December 7 in the Arena Sofia in Bulgaria in a bout shown on DAZN.

Charr is 34-4 (20 KOs), born in Syria but now fighting out of Dubai. He has not boxed in two years, and has had just three fights in seven years. His last victory was a two-round win over Nuri Seferi in Hamburg in December 2022.

Pulev is 31-3 (14 KOs) and the 43-year-old challenger defeated Andrzej Wawrzyk in 2023 and Ihor Shevadzutskyi in March this year. Pulev is ranked No. 7 by the WBA.

A brief history of the WBA ‘regular’ heavyweight title

It was this week announced that Manuel Charr and Kubrat Pulev will meet in Bulgaria on December 7 for the WBA heavyweight title, a fortnight before Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury scrap it out again for three belts, including the WBA heavyweight title.

Hang on, queries new boxing fan, why are there two WBA heavyweight belts? Please, new boxing fan, if you’re to survive in this place you gotta stop asking sensible questions.

And here’s why.

The decision was made in July 2011 following a battle between WBA heavyweight boss David Haye and his IBF and WBO counterpart Wladimir Klitschko, who won conclusively on points, to elevate the Ukrainian to the status of ‘super’ champion because he then held titles from other rankings bodies, thus making the ‘regular’ championship vacant.

It is not believed that the WBA came up with the ‘regular’ tag – they preferred ‘world’ – but it was instead pained journalists, going balder by the second as they tried to explain the situation, who introduced it as means of deciphering between the two. Note: The regular title has also been known as the ‘secondary’ title and, in some published material, the ‘bogus’ title.

Alexander Povetkin and Ruslan Chagaev stepped forward as the willing challengers that November, paid their sanctioning fees and engaged in a forgettable 12-rounder for the regular/secondary/bogus belt, won by Povetkin. The Russian went on to make four defenses of the bauble against four fighters unranked at heavyweight by anyone besides the WBA (Cedric Boswell; cruiserweight Marco Huck; the 73-year-old Hasim Rahman; and Andrzej Wawrzyk). During that period, Klitschko defended the WBA super-duper title on four occasions, meaning, thanks to their decision to create another belt, the rankings body doubled their money in sanctioning fees in the heavyweight division alone.

In October 2013, Wladimir duly beat Povetkin via a lopsided decision and, hey presto, the regular/secondary/bogus strap was once again without an owner. Well, we simply must get this cleared up, said the WBA, and they nominated old favourite Chagaev and the 41-year-old Fres Oquendo to step up.

Chagaev beat Oquendo in July 2014, which was no surprise considering it had been 11 years since Fres had recorded a victory over an opponent widely recognized as a viable contender, but Ruslan – perhaps failing to see the bang for his buck – was stripped 20 months later for not paying $40,750 to the WBA in sanctioning fees.

In the meantime, Lucas Browne had knocked out Chagaev in 10 rounds to win the title, only to fail a drugs test and be forced to give it back. Chagaev, contractually obliged to give a rematch to the same Oquendo who by now was 13 years removed from his past world-class win, opted to do the smart thing and retire.

Yet again the WBA were left with one paltry WBA heavyweight champion (two if you include the ‘interim’ champ but, for the purpose of not banging own heads into brick walls, let’s not) and moved quickly to get the matter resolved. Oquendo, now 44, was matched with the 45-year-old Shannon “The Cannon” Briggs, fresh off his last gasp win over Siarhei Liakhovich in 2006, for the vacant title in June 2017. Briggs then failed a test for performance enhancing drugs.

Unperturbed by the latest sign that the bogus title was doomed, the WBA then plonked Mahmoud Charr and Alexander Ustinov together in November 2017. Combined age: 72. Combined wins over world-class opposition: 0. But don’t let the stats fool you – Charr would soon call himself a WBA heavyweight champion after outscoring Ustinov.

So Charr was then to face Oquendo – 45, four years inactive, and 15 years older than when he beat anyone decent – in September 2018.

The fight didn’t happen. Charr failed a test and was stripped of the title, only to find it back around his waist when a loophole regarding his B-sample was exploited. Charr-Oquendo was resurrected for April 2019.

Trevor Bryan was the latest to feel all of this was a just a trifle unfair. He had won the vacant interim trinket with victory over former cruiserweight fringe contender BJ Flores – by knockout, no less. Give me my freaking title shot, he screamed. It was ordered by the WBA in 2019, only for the pandemic to come along and put the entire planet into hibernation. Thankfully, the WBA regular/secondary/bogus heavyweight title survived.

In January 2021, with Charr embroiled in a legal wrangle with the WBA and Don King, the same promoter persuaded the sanctioning body to stage a contest between Bryan and Bermane Stiverne for the again-vacant strap. This might be the most ridiculous match-up of the lot. Stiverne was shot to bits, evidenced by being knocked out in one and six rounds by Deontay Wilder and Joe Joyce respectively in his most recent outings. Bryan would not have made it into any respected boxing observer’s Top 30. A real pick ‘em affair.

Bryan won in the 11th round, then notched a successful defense against Jonathan Guidry, who had never previously been in a contest scheduled for more than eight rounds.

Next up was Daniel Dubois, who found himself ranked at No. 2 following his knockout loss to the unranked Joyce. Dubois predictably mangled Bryan in four rounds and then halted the unheralded Kevin Lerena to secure a shot at Oleksandr Usyk. In the process, Dubois would be the first WBA regular/secondary/bogus heavyweight champion since Alexander Povetkin to gain a shot at the super-duper champion a decade before.

In August 2023, five days after Usyk halted Dubois in nine rounds, a court ruled that Charr should be reinstated as regular champion. On December 7, he will defend the title against the 43-year-old Kubrat Pulev.

Should it happen, it will be the 40th fight that the WBA have sanctioned for a ‘world’ heavyweight title, whether super, regular or interim, since July 2011.

Fight Week!!

‘Cosmopolitan’ Mahmoud Charr says he plans to make Kubrat Pulev quit and ‘stop his career’

When heavyweights Mahmoud Charr and Kubrat Pulev finally meet in Sofia, Bulgaria this Saturday (December 7), they will bring to the ring a combined 72 professional fights, 83 years, and almost as many years’ worth of inactivity, confusion, and frustration.

On the line when they fight will be the WBA “regular” heavyweight belt, which is a belt both fighters, along with Fres Oquendo, seem to have won and lost numerous times in a never-ending and frankly maddening game of pass the parcel. And yet, as hard as it is to believe, of the two only Charr has ever owned the belt. In fact, in what has become one of boxing’s strangest “reigns”, since winning the vacant WBA “regular” belt against Alexander Ustinov back in 2017, Charr has yet to suffer a loss. He has, however, fought only three times – yes, three times in seven years – and is therefore in a constant state of reintroduction.

Similarly, Pulev, 43, has hardly been active of late, though did manage to go 10 rounds against Andrzej Wawrzyk last December. He has also been mixing in better company than Charr in recent years, albeit coming up short against the likes of Derek Chisora (SD 12) and Anthony Joshua (KO 9).

“Pulev has a great amateur career,” said Charr, 34-4 (20 KOs). “As a pro, he fought (Wladimir) Klitschko, Joshua, and he is a good technical boxer, but he is not so strong mentally. When he gets under pressure, he stops the fight. For me, he is a great amateur boxer but not a strong professional. My plan is to make him quit in the fight. I will stop his career. He has had a great career, and I am happy he has another chance to fight for a world title and make history in Bulgaria, but I have to beat him. I want to fight many rounds against him to get that experience. But points or knockout, a win is a win for me. It doesn’t matter.”

As for whether fighting in Bulgaria makes things any more difficult, Charr had this to say: “My friend, I am cosmopolitan. I am a world fighter. I fight everywhere. It doesn’t matter to me. I am the ‘Arab German King’. I have German blood and Arab blood. I can fit in wherever I go.”

Now 40 years old, presumably Charr’s biggest fear at this point is that time runs out and that, when it does, he will then come to realise too much of it has been wasted. Which is why a win this weekend in Bulgaria is vital for him and why he must now return to some sort of relevance, ideally with a belt still around his waist.

“Listen,” he said, “my name is ‘Diamond Boy’. Diamonds grow in pressure. My life has been constant pressure and this is now my time to shine. When I fight against Pulev, I will be brilliant and shine again.”

Whether calling himself Diamond Boy, Arab German King, or simply Mahmoud, the title that wields the greatest power – financially speaking – is that of champion, which of course Charr knows. He also knows that now is the time to at last make hay and exploit it.

Anyone gonna tune into this?

Fight Night!!