Anthony Joshua vs. Kubrat Pulev

Challenger rankings

Org.	Pos.	As of	Published
1+ Mth. Old
WBA	13	31.01.2020	31.01.2020
WBC	N/A	N/A	N/A
IBF	1	31.01.2020	31.01.2020
WBO	NR	31.01.2020	01.02.2020
Ring	N/A	N/A	N/A
2+ Mth. Old
WBA	13	31.12.2019	31.12.2019
WBC	N/A	N/A	N/A
IBF	1	30.11.2019	02.12.2019
WBO	NR	30.11.2019	01.12.2019
Ring	N/A	N/A	N/A
3+ Mth. Old
WBA	NR	30.11.2019	30.11.2019
WBC	N/A	N/A	N/A
IBF	1	30.11.2019	02.12.2019
WBO	NR	30.11.2019	01.12.2019
Ring	N/A	N/A	N/A

Anthony Joshua 241 lbs beat Kubrat Pulev 240 lbs by KO at 2:58 in round 9 of 12

• Date: 2020-12-12
• Location: Wembley Arena, Wembley, London, United Kingdom
• Referee: Deon Dwarte
• Judge: Phil Edwards
• Judge: Matteo Montella
• Judge: Yordan Ezekiev

Notes

Timeline

• Following Joshua's reclaiming of the titles on December 7, 2019, WBO President Paco Valcarcel tweeted that WBO's mandatory Oleksandr Usyk should be next in line and get his title shot within 180 days. In response, Joshua expressed his willingness to "rock and roll" with Usyk.[1]
• On December 9, WBO ordered Joshua to defend the title against Usyk and gave both sides 30 days to make deal, otherwise a purse bid would take place. Less than 24 hours later, IBF ordered Joshua to defend his title against their mandatory Pulev: "Negotiations should commence immediately and be concluded by January 11, 2020".[2]
• On December 16, Pulev's promoter Bob Arum called Joshua out and proclaimed that his fighter "is gonna knock him on his ass in his next fight" and that by the end of 2020 "there ain't going to be an Anthony Joshua as a top fighter."[3]
• On December 19, East Side Boxing reported that Hearn was still negotiating with IBF and WBO over which mandatory would come first, IBF's Pulev or WBO's Usyk. Joshua was reportedly more interested in Usyk, as Pulev wasn't a draw in either UK nor US.[4]
• In an interview with Sky Sports on January 5, 2020, Joshua claimed that he didn't have a problem vacating one of his titles in exchange for bigger fights, hinting at a winner of Wilder-Fury II: "I always said the belts do not represent me. I will stand as a champion, even if I have to give one up. It would give me an opportunity to face another world champion."[5]
• On January 21, Joshua revealed that he had recently been involved in negotiations with Wilder and Usyk. Meanwhile, Dan Rafael reported that Pulev was the front-runner to get the title shot over Usyk.[6]
• In an interview with Sky Sports on February 15 Hearn labeled Joshua-Pulev "a very good fight": "Two big stand-up heavyweights who can really punch. Pulev has a lot of experience and good ring IQ." He also acknowledged the pressure on Joshua to deliver the KO in the potential fight following a dull, safety-first victory over Ruiz.[7]
• On February 20 Arum unleashed another verbal assault on Joshua. He dismissed the overall belief that Joshua was elite, claiming that "as far as Joshua is concerned, the only people that think Joshua is an elite heavyweight are the Brits", then proclaimed that "there won't be an Anthony Joshua after June when he fights Pulev, and I mean that seriously, Andy Ruiz is an OK fighter. He doesn't compare with a Pulev, who is bigger, stronger, more mobile, and will be in shape."[8]
• On March 2, Pulev announced that he had signed to face Joshua on June 20 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.[9]
• On March 19, Pulev confirmed that due to the COVID-19 pandemic the fight was postponed: "It is impossible for the fight to take place on June 20, although I am ready. The match will take place a few months later, perhaps towards the end of the year."[10]
• On April 3, Matchroom Boxing formally announced that the fight had been postponed to an unspecified date.[11]
• Contracts with new location and date signed on October 11-12.[12]

Ranking Movements

• Pulev listed No. 1 contender by the IBF since at least May 2017.
• WBO did not list Pulev in its Top 15 in the rankings released February 10. Then on March 20 Pulev entered the rankings at No. 4, where he remained going into the fight.
• WBA did not rank Pulev in its Top 15 until December 31, 2019, when he was swiftly promoted to 11th.
• He then dropped to No. 12 on February 29, following WBA's decision to insert Deontay Wilder into the second place.
• On March 31, WBA removed Robert Helenius from its Top 15 as he became the "Gold" Champion and moved Pulev up two spots, meaning Pulev entered the organization's Top 10. However, with Charr being Regular Champion and Helenius being Gold Champion, Pulev was still only the twelfth highest-rated contender for Joshua's title.
• Following the loss, IBF dropped Pulev from 1st to 10th, while both WBA and WBO removed him from their Top 15 entirely.

The Fight

• Joshua dominated the fight and won practically every round, with Pulev having the most success in the sixth.
• Pulev received a standing count and was knocked down in the third.
• Pulev knocked down twice in the ninth. He did not get up from the second knockdown.

Preceded by: Ruiz vs. Joshua II	WBA Heavyweight Title Fight # 108	Succeeded by: Joshua vs. Usyk I
Preceded by: Ruiz vs. Joshua II	IBF Heavyweight Title Fight # 75	Succeeded by: Joshua vs. Usyk I
Preceded by: Ruiz vs. Joshua II	WBO Heavyweight Title Fight # 60	Succeeded by: Joshua vs. Usyk I