The IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev is the name that will provide AJ with the fourth defence of his IBF strap on October 28 at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.
Pulev has already been involved in many high-profile fights, most notably against AJ’s last opponent – Dr. Steelhammer.
BBN took a look at the next challenger to come to our shores with the cruel intention of dethroning our heavyweight champ.
1. Born on May 4th 1981 in Sofia, Bulgaria, Kubrat Venkov Pulev is currently 36-years-old.
2. The Bulgarian represented his country at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he was beaten in his first fight, but won the European amateur championships in the same year in Liverpool. He also boasts a bronze medal in the 2005 World Championships; another bronze in the 2006 Europeans; plus a silver (2005) and gold (2004) in the EU Championships; as well as winning the Strandzha Cup in 2002 – the oldest international boxing tournament in Europe.
3. Kubrat Pulev’s trainer is former East German amateur champion Otto Ramin.
4. Pulev turned professional, at the age of 28, in September 2009 at the Jahnsportforum in Neubrandenburg, Germany. He defeated Florian Benche via second-round TKO, and fought another three times in the next three months, winning them all. He ended his first professional year with four out of four wins – all within just 78 days.
5. He is the top rated heavyweight in his native country and has had more fights than the rest of the division put together.
6. He has collected three major titles so far in his eight-year professional career: IBF International heavyweight title; European heavyweight title (twice); WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title.
7. The Bulgarian has only lost once in 26 professional contests, conquered by the recently retired Wladimir Klitschko via a trademark left hook in the fifth-round of their November 2014 meeting, which became “Dr Steelhammer’s” 53rd and final stoppage win of his career.
8. His next fight with Anthony Joshua will be his second crack at the IBF world heavyweight title.
9. He has previously beaten three other British boxers – Matt Skelton (2010); Michael Sprott (2012); Dereck Chisora (2016).
10. He has upset an unbeaten prospect in his own back yard once before when he defeated Alexander Dimitrenko in Germany via 11th-round knockout.
11. His opponents’ records combined equals to: 674-190-13.
12. He is currently ranked in these positions with the various governing bodies: IBF #1; WBA #7; WBC #3; WBO #3; IBO #2.
13. He is known by the nickname “The Cobra”, but has also been referred to as “The Bulgarian Butcher”.
14. Pulev has turned down lucrative financial offers to represent Germany, having fought 21 of his 26 pro fights there, viewing it as a matter of principle not to change his national allegiance.
15. Kubrat is romantically linked to Bulgarian pop-folk superstar singer Andrea Teodora, who was also crowned Miss Sofia and Miss Tourism Bulgaria in beauty pageants during her teenage years.