Anthony Joshua Knocks Out Kubrat Pulev to Retain Heavyweight Championship Belts
In the highly anticipated fight between Unified world heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua and Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev, Anthony Joshua knocked out Kubrat Pulev in the ninth round at London’s Wembley Arena on Saturday night, the 12th of December 2020 to retain his IBF, WBA, and WBO world heavyweight titles. His victory creates a potential all-British heavyweight unification bout against Tyson Fury in 2021.
In the fight, Joshua Floored Pulev heavily on three different occasions, twice in the final round, ending the fight with a win. This makes him 24-1 in his career with 22 KOs. Joshua got a whopping £10 million prize from his title defence against Pulev; his first fight this year while Pulev earned just £3 million from the bout, accepting £7 million less than the world champion.
Fans were in awe as Joshua employed power and patience to knock out Kubrat Pulev. The Nigerian-born heavyweight champion drilled his challenger to the canvas twice in round three, in a chaotic flurry that saw Pulev smiling while under attack and turning his back when under fire, just to plan his moves.
Perhaps fatigued, Joshua stepped off the gas, allowing Pulev to offer some mild threat. However, some uppercuts in the ninth dropped Pulev and a straight right hand wiped him out after few seconds.
The boxing event was the first to be attended in the United Kingdom since the pandemic, with several spectators at the SSE Arena watching the Nigerian-British boxer defeat Kubrat Pulev. 1000 fans were granted access to Wembley Arena to witness a blend of boxing skills and crushing punches that helped build an attraction for Joshua. His victory got fans cheering at the prospect of the IBF, WBA and WBO champion facing WBC champion, Tyson fury next year. In a post-match interview, Joshua said he will beat Fury to win the world heavyweight unification bout. Presently, the world anticipates an Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury fight in 2021.
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Joshua’s constant victory got him ranked as the world’s second-best active heavyweight by The Ring magazine and Transactional Boxing Ranking Board. His victories include defeating five world heavyweight champions and three non-titlists who were ranked in the global heavyweight top ten by BoxRec within a year of defeat. His knockout percentage stands at 88%, with 70% in world heavyweight title fights.